The Bee Maker is a science fiction novel for children, preteens and young adults written by Mobi Warren. The honeybees were nearly all extinct by the year 2036. Melissa’s dad, Dr. Paul Bui, a honeybee communications specialist, had tracked down a hive still thriving in an almond orchard in Yolo County, California. He, Melissa and her small dog, Hermes, would be relocating to Benefit, Texas where he would be working with other scientists in Benefit College. Melissa hated the idea. She hadn’t been consulted as usual, and felt, not for the first time, that her dad was not terribly concerned about how she felt about things. Melissa’s hands found comfort in the folds and edges her practiced fingers created as she made an origami honeybee while her father boxed the hive. Then she heard the music, a flute, she thought, and she could sense the sadness emanating from the melody. Her dad’s face suddenly appeared in her vision, and she heard Hermes whining uneasily. She had blanked out again. She hated that. The kids and teachers in middle school treated her as if she were weird or different, calling her ‘statue girl.’ Epilepsy was not something she ever wanted to deal with again, and the medications she had finally stopped taking had made her feel so sluggish and out of it. Melissa was determined not to go on them ever again.

The Bee Maker takes the reader into the not-too-distant future where readers will reel in horror at the awful vision they are exposed to. Climate change and pesticides have nearly made the honeybee extinct and, with them, the vegetables and fruits we still take for granted are things of the past. I’m generally reluctant to read post-apocalyptic or near-future novels, but found this one to be different. The author grabbed my attention from the outset with the dramatic rescue of the Yolo bees and the intriguing narrative behind her main character, Melissa Bui. The Bee Maker is a powerful story that blends the coming of age, time travel and science fiction genres. I loved watching Melissa work at her running, and her growing friendship with Beau, the literal boy next door is a delight. Add in a marvelous parallel story from ancient Crete, and just a dash of mathematics, populate both times with credible and real characters, and you end up with a fast-paced and fascinating book that works on so many levels. The Bee Maker is most highly recommended.

The Bee Maker by Mobi Warren tells two stories that connect across time and space. First is the tale of Melissa and her father, who move from (a future) California to Texas, from whence Melissa’s father seeks to bring honeybees back from their near extinction, the result of climate change. Without the regular luxury of foods that depend on honeybees, Melissa hopes to help her father in his efforts and, in the process, to connect more closely with him. Eventually she, to her surprise, time travels, a phenomenon that results from the “blank out” periods she experiences as a result of her epilepsy. Although confused at the start, Melissa eventually realizes that her episodes connect her to Amethea who lives in ancient sixth century BCE Greece, a place her anthropologist mother studies. Both Melissa and Amethea are runners. The story culminates as they each run a race: Melissa to benefit the local bee sanctuary (and thereby her father’s work); and Amethea to save the life of her physically challenged brother, Hippasus, whose mother had refused to give him up at birth, notwithstanding the physical handicaps with which he had been born.

Mobi Warren weaves numerous ideas into The Bee Maker, as a consequence of which the tale does not fit into any pre-designed genre or category. It combines bits of ancient Greek mythology, futuristic dystopia concepts, and near magic fantasy elements—including time travel. It uses a wide range of characters, including Melissa and her parents and grandmother, her new-found friend, Beau, and his parents as well as his pets, and another entire cast located in ancient Greece with Amethea. I found one of the most interesting characters to be the real historical Pythagoras of ancient Greece whose studies included the study of numbers. Interestingly, he noted concepts that some people today believe may be relevant to real honeybees and how they communicate with one another. To the genre varieties and the full list of characters, add in some origami bees, a marathon or two, and some time traveling in mind and body, and there is something to be found in The Bee Maker for all readers.

Mobi Warren has written a fantastic book of hope. In a not too distant world, man has ruined all the tasty pleasures of life and threatened the existence of the hard working honeybee. This is a story of two young girls full of hope, hardwork, and love for family. One works to save the bees and the other her family. Together they take you on a mystical journey. Long live strawberry jam. Thank you bees.