BEES ON THE ROOF Book Mixes Coming-of-Age Story with Science

An educational and fun read for middle-grade boys and girls, Bees on the Roof (Tumblehome Learning, September 1, 2016), is a compelling coming-of-age story mixed with science and learning.

Sam needs a topic for his seventh-grade science fair project and is also worried that the restaurant where his father works may be closed down. He hits on a solution to both problems when he enrolls three friends in a plan to put beehives on a hotel roof in New York City. Then the trouble starts. Bee sting allergies, a great bee die-off, a rival team's cheating, a reclusive science teacher, and Sam's romantic feelings for a classmate make the bee project anything but simple. Added to all that is the mystery surrounding a real-world and potentially devastating syndrome called "Colony Collapse Disorder."

Bees on the Roof encourages children to learn more about their environment, to understand the key role bees play in our food supply, and to appreciate the delicate balance of nature. Most urgently, it conveys factual information about bees and Colony Collapse Disorder in ways that kids will find easy to grasp. Author Robbie Shell weaves in facts about bee culture, beekeeping, pollination, and a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that is threatening our food supply, our gardens, and the health of our ecosystem.

"One of the biggest misconceptions about honeybees," says Shell, "is that they are dangerous. In fact, they generally won't sting you unless you scare them, step on them, or get in the way of their flight path. They are not vindictive. Like all of us, they are just trying to get their work done."

Robbie Shell is a former business journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal and Philadelphia Inquirer. She has worked and lived in New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. Bees on the Roof is her first work of fiction.

Connect with Shell on Facebook, Goodreads and at www.beesontheroof.com.

Bees on the Roof is now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in bookstores everywhere.