The Last Beekeeper by Cartay

Award-winning author Pablo Cartaya’s latest middle grade, The Last Beekeeper, follows twelve-year-old Yolanda Cicerón as she fights to the save the last known beehive in the world from extinction against nearly insurmountable obstacles—an environment completely changed by climate change and the greedy humans who will profit from the bees.

In a future shaken by climate disasters, Yolanda Cicerón knows that nature is something to be feared. From the crops that don’t grow to the terrifying creatures that roam the countryside, Yoly’s life in the Valley is brutal and harsh. She dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo – the most advanced town for miles around. But first, Yoly will need to prove she belongs in a place where only the smartest and most useful are welcomed.

Between her razor-sharp smarts and sheer determination, Yoly is well on her way to leaving her farm life when she discovers her family can no longer afford her schooling. Desperate for a solution, Yoly is forced to take matters into her own hands, but the closer she gets to securing her future, the more she uncovers the dangers lying inside Silo’s walls – ones that threaten the entire Valley.        

As she cracks long guarded secrets, Yoly along with those closest to her are put in grave peril and the only chance of surviving may lie in the rediscovery of a long extinct species–the honeybee. Can the last surviving beehive be the key to pulling the Valley out from under Silo’s thumb, or will they destroy what remains of Yoly’s future?       

The Last Beekeeper is a gripping adventure story about fighting to right the wrongs of past generations while finding hope in the present by award-winning author Pablo Cartaya.