THE HOUR OF THE BEES, by Lindsay Eager

The story: Carolina has to spend the summer stranded at her grandfather's sheep farm. He's got dementia, the farm is falling to ruin, and after all their work, the family's just going to put the place on the market and sell it. Then, contrary to all she expects, Carolina connects with her grandpa over the mystical history of the family's farm--the story of her ancestors, a 100-year drought, and the bees that stole a lake.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; adult themes (dementia, death of a family member) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Carolina's worries about absent friends, new school, and occasionally difficult family members melt together over the course of the summer and mix with grandpa's stories to help her find a whole new version of herself. Give this to patient 6th-7th grade readers, as the going is sometimes slow and the fantasy village where people live forever is pretty unexpected in what otherwise seems like a straight-up coming-of-age story.