In the near future, when the last of the bees has died, food is scarce and society as we know it has broken down. Boys are forced to become soldiers and girls, at age 11, are taken to camps where they pollinate fruit trees by hand using brushes. It's backbreaking labor being up on ladders in trees all day in extreme heat. The girls, permanently separated from their parents, have nothing to look forward to except for forced marriages and childbearing as soon as they begin menstruating. Jess is different from other girls--her mother taught her to read and paint, and kept her out of the camps until she was 13 years old. She's a quiet outsider who is devoted to her best friend Cass, and she understands the inhumanity in how the girls are treated. A chance gift of paints gives Jess the opportunity to rebel and gives Jess hope for a more meaningful future. This slow-moving, beautifully crafted story has many similarities to The Handmaid's Tale. Young teens who are willing to enter into this dystopian world will find much to think about in this world (almost) devoid of art and literature and bees. Recommended for middle and high school library collections.
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