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Cartaya, Pablo

The Last Beekeeper

304 pp. | HarperCollins/Harper | July, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-300655-3 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-06-300658-4 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Yolanda Cicerón 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.
Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

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