CanLit150

In Spite of Killer Bees (2002)

(From Tundra Books)

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 hope. 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.

Julie Johnston

(From Penguin Random House)

Tundra author Julie Johnston received the Governor General’s Award for her first two books, Hero of Lesser Causes and Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me. Her third novel, The Only Outcast, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, as was her novel In Spite of Killer Bees. In 2003, Julie Johnston was awarded the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature in recognition of the enormous contribution her body of work has made to children’s literature. Her most recent young adult book, Susanna’s Quill, was also critically acclaimed. Published in 2005, As If By Accident is Julie Johnston’s first book for adults. Julie Johnston lives in Peterborough, Ontario.