Maybe it’s Pip Harry’s prodigious ability with words. Perhaps it’s Nate and Luna’s blossoming friendship. Perhaps it’s the bittersweet discomfiture of wanting more, missing what was and having to deal with an uncertain tomorrow that makes Drift so appealing.
Nate
is in his mid-teens, an ex-pat child of Singapore, recently rehomed along with
his physically challenged mother in Australia which he finds as alien and isolating
as being on the moon. Luna, his neighbour appears a sensitive and understanding
ally however is nursing her own darkness.
When over 20,000 swarming bees decide Nate’s home is the place to be, he and Luna unite to save them along with local surfy and ace beekeeper, Tyler.
It’s a long difficult summer of burgeoning hopes, confronting fears, and tests of loyalty. But not without glimmers of joy, hope and plenty of heightened bee intel.
Emotions
lift and bank. Cluster and dissipate in a never ceasing drift of gentle words
and carefully portrayed experiences. The beauty of this layout enables the
reader to glide effortlessly from one page to the next yet still experience all
the emotional depth of a full-blown novel.
Whilst
not everyone may have experienced living with bees within their walls, most
young readers are familiar with the more brutal and unforgiving aspects of
social media crucifixion and the hollow feeling of being abandoned by friends.
Schoolyard anxieties that spill over into every day life and impact mental harmony
are real and recognisable. It’s for this reason that Nate and Luna are such beguiling
and beautiful characters.
Drift is more than a sweet coming of
age story. It’s a sturdy reminder about the sensitivities found both in nature
and within our own human psyches. Like bees, teens can be delicate, hyper-responsive
creatures, easily crushed and broken.
Similarly, they both possess a determination that, if nurtured in the right
way, thrives with beautiful vigour. Drift encapsulates that essence with
heart and warmth.
Perfect
for midgrade lovers of verse novels and those with a reluctancy to read but
pull for good stories.
Title: Drift
Author: Pip Harry
Publisher: Hachette Australia, $17.99
Publication Date: 30 July 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780734423900
For ages: 12+
Type: Verse Novel
