Book Title: Wings of a Bee

Author: Julie Roorda

Publishing Company: Sumach Press

Publishing Date: Fall 2007

# of pages: 232

ISBN: 10: 1-894549-68-6 (13: 978-1-894549-68-4)

$10.95 CDN/$9.95 US

5 Stars

Reviewed by: Breanne Cursley

An amazing story, Wings of a Bee truly touched my heart.  Being Julie Roorda's first novel (for young adults), it is easy to see she has set her standards high for writing a novel.  Heartbreaking, well-written and easy to relate to, Wings of a Bee was hard to put down.  

Told through the eyes of young Bronwyn DeGroot, Wings of a Bee is the story of a family's perseverance through extremely difficult situations and circumstances.  The story follows Bronwyn's family; her mother and father, her brother Rodney, and her sister Carey - who has cerebral palsy.  Carey, a brilliant young girl, can't talk and only communicates with a spelling board.  Bronwyn understands Carey more than anyone else, and they have a very close relationship with one another.  As the novel progresses, Carey becomes more ill, and Bronwyn and her family must learn to cope under tough circumstances, and through their experiences, become a stronger family.

If I didn't know any better I would have certainly thought that Wings of a Bee was a biography.  Julie Roorda's voice reminded me very much of Jeannette Wall's in The Glass Castle.  Bronwyn DeGroot's story was told with the innocence of a typical child, which made it very easy to relate to, and contributed greatly to the authenticity of the novel.

A true gem, Wings of a Bee is an exceptional novel with power and depth.  I would recommend to anyone; but would prepare the reader beforehand that this novel will almost positively make them cry - I must admit, by the end of the novel, I had shed quite a few tears myself.