The Bumblebee Flies Anyway

The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Robert Cormier is an excellent book for teen readers. While the setting and situations of an experimental medicine clinic may be unusual, teens can easily identify with the patients and how they are a society of outcasts. Barney, along with his friends Billy, Ali, and Mazzo, have become ostracized due to their illnesses and each identifies their predicament in an independent manor. The intrusion of Cassie into their society brings a sense of the real world into the Clinic. The result ends in a rather unusual ending that might confuse some readers, but the basic premise will still remain appealing. The adolescent readers of this novel will find Barney's medication and Cassie's special relationship to her twin brother Mazzo conversation worthy thus making the novel an excellent choice for middle school and high school classes in which the teacher is wanting to provoke discussion. The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is also an excellent book that any age will enjoy.

I've was in school for 28 years and I've read a LOT of books. Nevertheless, I seem to remember this book quite frequently and often tell people about it just because the premise alone is a perfectly fascinating tale. If you are a Cormier fan and haven't read this one, buy it right away! If you haven't read Cormier, this is the one to start with. (I'm buying a copy for myself now, even though it's young adult fiction!) Enjoy!

a bittersweet story about young adult misfits in a strange laboratory....wonderfully written, as always from Mr. C.....if you've only read The Chocolate War books, boy, you've got a lot of great stuff ahead of you.....similar to "I Am the Cheese," but more uplifting.....the ending is transcendent.....not just for young adults--buy this book & pass it around to everyone you know...

Darkly poignant and sweetly done, this novel is a must-read for anyone who's ever been a teen...ANYONE. "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway" explores the deep psychologies involved in young Barney's confused and complex life, and shows what happens when life's "expectations" aren't met. As a full-fledged Robert Cormier fan (I've read some six-seven Cormier-penned tales), I can tell you that this is the one to get if you want to get a feel for Mr. Cormier's writing style and unique wordsmithing. It's the type of book to read even IF you aren't assigned it in class...even though none of my high school classes ever assigned any Cormier, I still found his stuff worthwhile reading--and still do.