Product Description

In Spite of Killer Bees is a novel about not giving in and not giving up. Aggie and her two sisters have had to move to the small village that had been their father’s childhood home. Their mother is long gone, and their father – who’d been in and out of prison – has died. Although the village holds little charm for the girls, they have hopes. It seems that their late grandfather has made them heiresses.

In the small, judgmental village, Aggie must fight to keep her diminishing family together. By refusing to abandon those she loves and comes to love, she risks more than her happiness.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2084207 in Books
• Published on: 2002-11-26
• Released on: 2002-11-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

From School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-The Quade girls were raised by their father, a small-time gambler and thief who was disowned by his wealthy father for marrying a good-for-nothing woman. After their mother deserts them and their father dies, the girls are taken in by a woman who owns a deli, but their lives change when they are notified that the grandfather whom they've never met has died and named them in his will. Helen, 22, Jeannie, 17, and Aggie, 14, meet with the attorney only to learn that in order to claim their inheritance, they must live in their grandfather's mausoleum-type house in a town populated by people who are suspicious of them, and convince their Great Aunt Lily, whom they think is crazy, to live with them. Aunt Lily thinks the girls are imposters. Ever-fearful Aggie worries about what will happen to her as her sisters, old enough to go their separate ways, constantly talk about escaping from their problems. Johnston has written a story about the importance of family and the strength and courage it takes to bring relatives back together after they have been torn apart. She uses beautiful imagery and well-defined characters. This book will strike a chord with many teens because of the dynamics of the family and the situation in which the siblings find themselves, and readers will surely revel in the happily ever after ending.

Susan Geye, Crowley Ninth Grade Campus, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Fourteen-year-old Aggie and her older sisters have been on their own since their father died and their mother left. So when they inherit a house from a grandfather they never knew, they imagine new possibilities. Unfortunately, it seems all they have inherited is a derelict property, their father's bad reputation, and eccentric great-aunt Lily, who comes with the house and isn't too thrilled when the unconventional sisters move in. But time and determination bring healing and perspective as the girls learn what family really means, how to balance dreams and reality, and how to find beauty in unexpected places and people. Johnston's descriptive, present-tense narrative is compelling, fluctuating between distance, edginess, and heartfelt intimacy. It ably reflects Aggie's progress from alienated teen to involved participant in daily life. An insightful novel about sisters, reconciling past and present, and opening hearts and minds. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
?A gem ? another one ? from two?time Governor?General?s Award-winner Julie Johnston.?
?The Globe and Mail

??a signature Julie Johnston story: complex, subtle, and engaging.?
?The Horn Book Magazine

??Johnston?s?narrative is compelling, fluctuating between distance, edginess, and heartfelt intimacy?An insightful novel about sisters, reconciling past and present, and opening hearts and minds.?
?Booklist

?Forget killer bees. What this Canadian novel has is a killer plot.?
?Washington Post

?Julie Johnston is quickly becoming the Alice Munro of Canadian children?s publishing?[this is] a brilliant, brilliant book.?
?Michele Landsberg

?Extraordinary?Johnston has created an exuberant novel that simply whips readers into the midst of these unforgettable characters.?
?Quill & Quire

?This is a leisurely, intriguing, and offbeat saga about a ?born-again family-girl? who finds a place in the world.?
?The Bulletin

?Aggie is sure to become one of Johnston?s most beloved characters.?
?Children?s Book News Summer/Fall 2001

?Johnston?s novel is a delightful mixture of warmth and disfunctionality, alienation and human contact?Johnston has a hilarious penchant for undercutting sentiment?Here?s heart, readability and enormous literary sophistication, all lightly worn.?
?The Toronto Star


From the Hardcover edition. -- Review