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Robbie Shell has spent most of her career as a business journalist. She became fascinated by honeybees when her brother introduced her to his backyard beehives, and she learned how essential bees are to our food supply. When she realized that these amazing creatures are also the ultimate team players and are ruled by females, she was hooked. A graduate of Princeton University, Robbie lives with her husband near Philadelphia. This is her first novel for young readers.
Reviewed by Chris-Jean Clarke for Readers' Favorite
Robbie Shell’s Bees on the Roof, as the title and beautifully designed cover suggests, is a children’s book about a colony of bees being cultivated by children on the roof of a building. The venue is the Meadow Hotel, where Nick the Head Pastry Chef at the hotel's Bella Vista restaurant resides with his son, Sam. The hives and their busy occupants are being studied by Sam, Ella, Matt and Tristan in an attempt to understand Colony Collapse Disorder for their year 7 science project. Victory in the contest means the friends will win a three-day trip to Washington DC for an event sponsored by the National Science Foundation. However, for Sam the trip wasn't the main incentive. Instead, he envisages the bees producing enough honey for the restaurant to incorporate it in their menus as this would not only ensure his father’s job security, but he (Sam) could continue attending the Manhattan School for Science and maintain his friendship with Ella, Matt and Tristan.
Bees on the Roof will be read and loved by children 8+, and is a very educational read as it encompasses many topics that will be raised in schools as part of the curriculum - for example, Colony Collapse Disorder and the effect it will have on our society; planning and financing projects; and the need for independent learning and teamwork during home and school learning. Educators and parents will also be grateful to Robbie Shell for recognising and addressing several topics that may not be discussed during lessons, but may still affect children throughout their school years. These include disability, severe allergic reactions, assault, bullying, cheating, coping with separation, divorce or death of a loved one, and the joy (and possible heartbreak) of first love.
