The Hive by Gill Hornby

All my kids are now grown up but one of the lasting memories of the school years was negotiating the school gates, a place fraught with politics. Gill Hornby brings a comic touch in her book, The Hive, to this area of life that all mums have to experience. The book is set at St. Ambrose Church Primary in an idyllic countryside setting where mums linger at the gates after dropping their kids off, to gossip and practise the art of one-upmanship. Of course there is always a Queen Bee (probably chairman of the PTA) and in the book she is aptly named Bea short for Beatrice.

The book follows the school year and a group of Yummy Mummies though some do not deserve the ‘yummy’ part! There are some just desserts served up throughout the year and there is much speculation about who will end up in the arms of the dishy headmaster, Mr. Orchard.

All in all the book makes an amusing read and one can relate to many of the characters and events. A good gift for anyone starting out on the ‘school run’ years!