In Spite of Killer Bees: Amazon.ca: Julie Johnston: Books

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Fourteen-year-old Aggie is not what she seems. The hero of In Spite of Killer Bees, Julie Johnston's fourth young-adult novel, may have a shaved head and an eccentric vintage wardrobe, but at heart she's a "born-again family girl." When Aggie and her two older sisters--sombre, black-clad Helen and sulky, body-pierced Jeannie--roll into a sleepy Ontario village to collect an inheritance from the grandfather they never knew, their relatives are understandably suspicious. The girls' father, now dead, led a life of crime, and their shiftless mother, who deserted them long ago, goaded him on. Aggie's secret hope is that her mom will return and they'll start acting like a family, but reality has a habit of departing from the movie script in her head.

Johnston's sensitive problem novels have won many prizes, including two Governor General's Awards. In Spite of Killer Bees, which was nominated for a GG, resembles her second novel, Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me, in its contemporary setting and focus on a broken home. The impetuous, optimistic Aggie, however, takes after the 1940s protagonist of her much-lauded first novel, Hero of Lesser Causes. While the resolution to Aggie's problem is rather pat, In Spite of Killer Bees is an engrossing read. With its childlike hero and a romantic subplot worthy of Louisa May Alcott, it will also appeal to younger girls as much as teens. (Ages 11 and older) --Lisa Alward

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-The Quade girls were raised by their father, a small-time gambler and thief who was disowned by his wealthy father for marrying a good-for-nothing woman. After their mother deserts them and their father dies, the girls are taken in by a woman who owns a deli, but their lives change when they are notified that the grandfather whom they've never met has died and named them in his will. Helen, 22, Jeannie, 17, and Aggie, 14, meet with the attorney only to learn that in order to claim their inheritance, they must live in their grandfather's mausoleum-type house in a town populated by people who are suspicious of them, and convince their Great Aunt Lily, whom they think is crazy, to live with them. Aunt Lily thinks the girls are imposters. Ever-fearful Aggie worries about what will happen to her as her sisters, old enough to go their separate ways, constantly talk about escaping from their problems. Johnston has written a story about the importance of family and the strength and courage it takes to bring relatives back together after they have been torn apart. She uses beautiful imagery and well-defined characters. This book will strike a chord with many teens because of the dynamics of the family and the situation in which the siblings find themselves, and readers will surely revel in the happily ever after ending.

Susan Geye, Crowley Ninth Grade Campus, TX

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