The Last Beekeeper

May 23, 2022
Twelve-year-old Latinx Yolanda “Yoly” Cicerón has never known life without the System that connects everyone and everything around her. After climate disasters plunged the world into darkness, Silo—“the most connected and technologically advanced town in the Valley”—rose up as a beacon of hope, keeping people safe from nature’s brutal forces. Yoly dreams of living there, among the brightest and most privileged minds, instead of on her family’s struggling strawberry farm with her overbearing older sister. But her ambitions are jeopardized when money becomes too tight for Yoly to continue her Technologically Intuitive Education. Determined to enroll by any means possible, she accepts a scholarship from the mayor that hinges on attending a deadly scavenging program, then stumbles into a bee colony—and a dangerous conspiracy. Cartaya’s quick-moving plot pairs well with Yoly’s lively voice, highlighting themes of resistance, communal and ecological interdependence, and a shared responsibility to nature that’s sure to leave readers buzzing. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media.

January 1, 2023

Gr 4-6-Cartaya's latest is his first that's not self-narrated. Popular, Spanish-fluent Garcia should be an ideal choice, but her polyglot advantage gets occasionally overshadowed by an overemotive performance. That said, veering toward high energy is the better default for Cartaya's fast-paced climate change-informed dystopic thriller. Twelve-year-old Yoly learns early "there's always a catch" to "free" money. Yoly's a techno-wiz but her older sister Cami is the one who understands reality. With their parents missing, the pair struggle to keep the family's strawberry fields alive. Hoping to escape their finca, Yoly furtively accepts a scholarship for training to someday become a neurolink surgeon in technologically advanced Silo. When Cami ferrets out the real cost, Yoly must divert her prowess not only to save herself, but the lives of everyone they know and love. VERDICT Bestselling Cartaya's girl-powered adventure will draw plenty of audience; multiple formats will enable wider reach.

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2022

Gr 4-6-Cartaya's newest novel gives readers a dynamic, plot-driven story with heart. Set in the future after climate disasters and constant virtual connectivity have altered the way of life, the plot centers Yoly Cicer�n, who wants to go to school to become a surgeon-not a farmer in the Valley like her exiled parents. After accepting a scholarship from the powerful Silo without reading the fine print, Yoly soon realizes that all of the connectivity is just another way for a few affluent people to control impoverished families like hers and keep them in debt. After discovering their abuela's writings about the fabled bees and their importance in pollination, Yoly and her older sister Cami go on a mission to revitalize their family farm, clear their debts, and save the Valley from the Silo. Readers will find Yoly authentic and endearing even when she makes rash decisions. The depiction of Latinx culture intertwined with the culture of the Valley and the Silo bring necessary texture to the plot. The relationships Yoly builds and her realizations about the beauty of connecting with people in-person happens naturally. While some of the motivation of the villains falls a little flat at the end, the purpose of the hero remains, and ultimately sparks conversation about our own climate crisis. An action-packed adventure that reflects our own mistakes and predicts our fears for the future. Similar titles include Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember and Rodman Philbrick's The Last Book in the Universe. VERDICT Highly recommended for middle school readers who enjoy dystopian adventures and science.-Hilary Tufo

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2022
Grades 4-8 Award-winning author Cartaya has written a thrilling sf story set in a world almost destroyed by the effects of climate change. Yolanda Cicer�n always planned on leaving behind the family finca and working at Silos, the most technologically advanced city. When the farm cannot produce ripe strawberries to sell and her sister can no longer afford to pay for Yolanda's tuition, Mayor Blackburn offers to help--but with the mayor, everything comes at a price. Soon after, Yolanda reads through her grandmother's journal and discovers what is now the last-known beehive. These pollinating insects may be the key to freeing her from the grasp of Mayor Blackburn and uncovering the dark truth about Silos and the disappearance of her family. The Last Beekeeper raises powerful questions about a possible future if efforts of environmental preservation fail. A middle-grade dystopian story with well-written female characters and interesting world building, this appealing title teaches readers that one person can make all the difference in creating positive change.

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July 1, 2022
Twelve-year-old Yolanda Ciceron dreams of escaping her rustic life for the technology-enhanced metropolis of Silo, but earning a spot in the city requires an intense education and a lot of money. Yoly is close to reaching her goal: after she completes one final course, she can apprentice under a top surgeon, become a doctor, and make sure that she and her older sister, Cami, never struggle financially again. When she learns that Cami does not have the money to pay for the course, Yoly is devastated. However, a well-known benefactor alerts her to a scholarship that would cover her tuition. Yoly jumps at the chance, but she neglects to read the fine print. In accepting the scholarship, she unknowingly agrees to pay off her debt through two years of hard labor in the blighted wasteland beyond Silo's walls. Desperately seeking freedom from the contract, Yoly and Cami begin a life-altering adventure. They uncover schemes of capitalistic greed, expose Silo's evils, and learn that connectivity is interpersonal, not just technological. Cartaya (Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, rev. 9/18; Each Tiny Spark) has created a portrait of familial and communal love set against a backdrop of a world destroyed by climate change. Perfect for readers interested in dystopian literature and climate fiction, this is a stirring exploration of the connections between technology, nature, and humanity. S. R. Toliver

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2022
In a dystopian future ravaged by climate change, a 12-year-old tech genius must save her community from an evil government. Raised on her family's strawberry farm in the Valley, Yolanda Cicer�n, who has Cuban roots, aspires to become a neurolink surgeon, install computer chips in human skulls, and live in Silo, the most developed city around. But Camila, Yoly's older sister and her guardian since their parents' exile, can't afford the tuition. After Yoly secretly accepts a scholarship from Silo's Mayor Blackburn to fund her studies--against Cami's explicit wishes--she realizes the scholarship's terms require her to go on Retreat, a life-threatening mission in territory plagued by extreme weather disasters. Terrified, Cami finally shares secret family history that explains her mistrust of the mayor. Yoly belatedly understands that the System that purportedly keeps everyone safe from nature is actually oppressive and is spying on them. Looking for a way to pay off the scholarship and avoid the Retreat, Yoly and Cami discover a honeybee colony on their farm and recognize that the bees can pollinate fields and thereby reduce people's dependence on Silo. But questioning and innovation are dangerous under an authoritarian regime, and when people dear to Yoly are taken away, she must fight to save them and bring down the whole corrupt System. Readers will root for Yoly, who is as kind and brave as she is smart, in this page-turning story that deals with all-too-relevant themes. An insightful, action-packed, and thought-provoking adventure. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
Twelve-year-old Yolanda Ciceron dreams of escaping her rustic life for the technology-enhanced metropolis of Silo, but earning a spot in the city requires an intense education and a lot of money. Yoly is close to reaching her goal: after she completes one final course, she can apprentice under a top surgeon, become a doctor, and make sure that she and her older sister, Cami, never struggle financially again. When she learns that Cami does not have the money to pay for the course, Yoly is devastated. However, a well-known benefactor alerts her to a scholarship that would cover her tuition. Yoly jumps at the chance, but she neglects to read the fine print. In accepting the scholarship, she unknowingly agrees to pay off her debt through two years of hard labor in the blighted wasteland beyond Silo's walls. Desperately seeking freedom from the contract, Yoly and Cami begin a life-altering adventure. They uncover schemes of capitalistic greed, expose Silo's evils, and learn that connectivity is interpersonal, not just technological. Cartaya (Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, rev. 9/18; Each Tiny Spark) has created a portrait of familial and communal love set against a backdrop of a world destroyed by climate change. Perfect for readers interested in dystopian literature and climate fiction, this is a stirring exploration of the connections between technology, nature, and humanity.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)