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Science Squad
Runway Zombee: A Zombie Bee Hunter's Journal
It’s summer vacation, but twelve-year-old Raksha isn’t doing much relaxing. There is one project left before her Science Squad team earns their last badge (and a trip to Hawai‘i on the line!), when she gets an opportunity to attend a highly competitive fashion camp that is too good to pass up. It isn’t long before her Science Squad work hunting for zombie bees is taking over her life. She hardly has time to prepare for her fashion camp runway show. Can Raksha pull it all together and prove that she can be both a fashion queen and a science geek?
Welcome to the Science Squad, a citizen science organization for curious kids who love nature and science! Follow along as Squad members journal their efforts to make a difference in the world around them.
Welcome to the Science Squad, a citizen science organization for curious kids who love nature and science! Follow along as Squad members journal their efforts to make a difference in the world around them.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 29, 2022
An update, in story form. My friend hosts the coolest community project. Every summer, he helps the kids from his neighborhood form a gardening club. They grow sunflowers bigger than my face. I wanted in on that, but distance...
So. I asked my friend if I could choose a juvenile fiction (or non-fiction) book to share with his garden club. Permission granted, third year in a row. I just sent many copies of J.A. Watson's Runway Zombee his way and I'm stupidly excited for the kids to receive them.
****** ****** ****** ***** ***** ***** *****
Raksha’s parents, although proud of their daughter’s ambition, were adamant: two separate, summer-long activities are out of the question. The Science Squad project is essentially a grand-finale. Earning their final badge is important, but the possibility of advancing to the final competition in Hawaii is especially enticing. And Raksha is definitely down with learning more about the Zombie fly/bee infestation…however gruesome the observations may be.
Entirely on the other hand, this admittedly out-of-the-blue fashion camp seems simply serendipitous. True, she could attend another time. After all, she meant to sign up for the fall in the first place. But, if she sticks with the summer session, she will also have a chance to finesse a new friendship with Shonda.
She will do both. Secretly.
Having a best friend like Hannah certainly helps Raksha juggle her double duties; but things quickly become complicated. Raksha is fully aware of the fact that Mari Gonzalez, fellow Science Squad Member and Archnemesis, loves to see her fail. She has no idea that the petty teen would stoop to sabotage.
There is so much to love in this Science-y, Middle-Grade marvel. Written in field-journal format, complete with self-corrections, this catchy little caper makes a quick read. Raksha may have gotten herself into a tight spot, but she is resilient, cunning and all kinds of creative getting out.
And, now I know about zombie-fly infection of honeybees and why that matters.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to North Star Editions for the Advance Review Copy.
So. I asked my friend if I could choose a juvenile fiction (or non-fiction) book to share with his garden club. Permission granted, third year in a row. I just sent many copies of J.A. Watson's Runway Zombee his way and I'm stupidly excited for the kids to receive them.
****** ****** ****** ***** ***** ***** *****
Raksha’s parents, although proud of their daughter’s ambition, were adamant: two separate, summer-long activities are out of the question. The Science Squad project is essentially a grand-finale. Earning their final badge is important, but the possibility of advancing to the final competition in Hawaii is especially enticing. And Raksha is definitely down with learning more about the Zombie fly/bee infestation…however gruesome the observations may be.
Entirely on the other hand, this admittedly out-of-the-blue fashion camp seems simply serendipitous. True, she could attend another time. After all, she meant to sign up for the fall in the first place. But, if she sticks with the summer session, she will also have a chance to finesse a new friendship with Shonda.
She will do both. Secretly.
Having a best friend like Hannah certainly helps Raksha juggle her double duties; but things quickly become complicated. Raksha is fully aware of the fact that Mari Gonzalez, fellow Science Squad Member and Archnemesis, loves to see her fail. She has no idea that the petty teen would stoop to sabotage.
There is so much to love in this Science-y, Middle-Grade marvel. Written in field-journal format, complete with self-corrections, this catchy little caper makes a quick read. Raksha may have gotten herself into a tight spot, but she is resilient, cunning and all kinds of creative getting out.
And, now I know about zombie-fly infection of honeybees and why that matters.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to North Star Editions for the Advance Review Copy.
February 28, 2018
Runaway ZomBee: A Zombie Bee Hunter’s Journal by J.A. Watson
Runaway ZomBee: A Zombie Bee Hunter’s Journal by J.A. Watson is the first in a series titled Science Quad #1. It is at the level for a Middle Schooler with a female (Science nerd) main character and issues around mean girls, learning about bees and their peril, and trying to do it all.
The book mixes a number of different issues and has each resolved by the end of the story. The main character, Raksha is aware that being a science nerd does not have to define her. She also loves fashion and designing. What a great way to spend her summer working on with her Science Club with ZomBee Research and participating in a fashion course guaranteed to assure her non-nerd status in seventh grade.
I laughed out loud reading this book - in a public place. I felt for the main character as she was feeling more and more squeezed by the mean girl. I enjoyed her creative nature and loved her independence. I also loved how she was willing to apologize when she realized she treated a friend poorly.
This is a book that I will recommend to my students and a series that I will follow in hopes of showing girls that they are not just nerds if they like science. There are other lessons within the book that could benefit the middle school aged student.
Runaway ZomBee: A Zombie Bee Hunter’s Journal by J.A. Watson is the first in a series titled Science Quad #1. It is at the level for a Middle Schooler with a female (Science nerd) main character and issues around mean girls, learning about bees and their peril, and trying to do it all.
The book mixes a number of different issues and has each resolved by the end of the story. The main character, Raksha is aware that being a science nerd does not have to define her. She also loves fashion and designing. What a great way to spend her summer working on with her Science Club with ZomBee Research and participating in a fashion course guaranteed to assure her non-nerd status in seventh grade.
I laughed out loud reading this book - in a public place. I felt for the main character as she was feeling more and more squeezed by the mean girl. I enjoyed her creative nature and loved her independence. I also loved how she was willing to apologize when she realized she treated a friend poorly.
This is a book that I will recommend to my students and a series that I will follow in hopes of showing girls that they are not just nerds if they like science. There are other lessons within the book that could benefit the middle school aged student.
March 21, 2018
Runway ZomBee
A Zombie Bee Hunter's Journal
by J. A. Watson
North Star Editions
Jolly Fish Press
Middle Grade , Outdoors & Nature
Pub Date 06 Mar 2018
I am reviewing a copy of Runaway ZomBee through Jolly Fish Press and Netgalley:
Despite the fact it is summer vacation Raksha isn't relaxing much. There is a project left before her science squad team earns their last badge and maybe even a trip to Hawaii. But she has also been invited to attend a highly competitive fashion camp, an opportunity she can't just pass up.
It isn't long before her science squad work hunting for ZomBee's is taking over her life. Leaving her with almost no time to prepare for her fashion camp runway show.
Can Raksha prove that she can be both fashion queen and science geek as well.
I give Runaway ZomBee five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
January 26, 2018
Fun book! I love the way it's written. Perfect for early readers that want something interesting!
Want to Read
March 9, 2018Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2018.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews