THE LAST BEEKEEPER

In a future when an environmental disaster has changed life as we know it, 12-year-old Yolanda Cicerón and her older sister, Camila, live alone on a struggling strawberry farm in the Valley. Narrator Kyla Garcia aptly captures their shifting sibling dynamics of caretaking, bickering, and keeping and sharing secrets, and she switches seamlessly between the mix of English and Spanish that Yoly and Cami use. The action ramps up quickly--everyone is connected to an internet-like network, but can the technology be trusted? And why is their abuelita's shed filled with research about honeybees? While the fast-moving plot sometimes challenges the listener's suspension of disbelief, the messages about protecting the natural world, resisting oppression, and working together as a community are compelling and inspiring. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2022]