Drift

by Pip Harry

A beautifully written verse novel that will resonate with younger teen readers who are beginning to understand themselves and the changing world they live in.

Fourteen-year-old Nate has just moved back to Australia and is finding it hard to navigate a new city, school and changed home life. His next-door neighbour, Luna, is dealing with her own a viral video, friends who have dropped her, and a subsequent anxiety disorder.

When a swarm of 20,000 bees unexpectedly settle in the walls of Nate's family's house, Nate and Luna come together to save the hive, befriending local beekeeper Tyler. Over the course of one summer, their loyalties will be tested and their lives will be forever changed.

A topical, hopeful and authentic coming-of-age story that will captivate young teen readers, from multi-award-winning children's author Pip Harry.

'Touching on timely topics, it will have teens buzzing. Pun intended' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY

Genres: Young Adult, Friendship, Family, Mental Health, Contemporary, Middle Grade

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2025

About the author

Pip Harry is an Australian children’s author and journalist. Her middle grade novel, The Little Wave, won the CBCA 2020 Book of the Year Award and the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year. It was shortlisted for the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards – Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature.

Her young adult novels include I’ll Tell You Mine, Head of the River, and Because of You, shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Victorian Premier's Literary Award and Queensland Literary Awards.

Are You There, Buddha? is a 2022 CBCA Notable book and was nominated for the Ethel Turner prize.

Pip’s latest middle grade novel, August & Jones is out now.

Reviews

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent verse novel. Everything Pip Harry writes is gold. So good.

[Clare Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why would she settle for the edges when she was my whole circle?"

Is this the book that will restart me writing book reviews? Come back in January to find out, or February when I'm sure this will be on the CBCA Awards list. And this cover will still be mesmerising me

"Is there a breathing exercise
for not wanting to participate in life?"

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The buzz about this book is well deserved. Verse novel for readers aged +13 years old.

Beautifully presented, with a cover designed by Astred Hicks, and the text spaciously and cleverly arranged throughout the book, these are winning visuals immediately.

The story alternates between neighbours, Nate and Luna. Told in first person, after Nate and his mother settle into their Northern Beaches home, after living in Singapore (where his father is finishing up his job), and Luna is neck-deep in trauma after a fight video goes viral, showing her being assaulted.

With themes of homelessness, mental health, bee keeping and friendship, this is a sweet, rewarding novel to be devoured in an afternoon.

Highly recommend.

[Bash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beat-for-beat perfect. A quiet, emotional story about family and friendship and bees. I loved every word. Pip Harry's YA fiction is probably the best Australia has at the moment. Well worth the read.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't met a Pip Harry book I haven't liked yet. This was a powerful, emotional and ultimately uplifting verse novel. The depiction of Nate and Luna, their developing friendship and the challenges of living in our hyper-connected world were all great. Nate and Luna were really sweet and I enjoyed getting to know them. The challenges they both faced were also very well handled and felt very realistic. Environmental themes are also worked in to the story.

The only downside to this novel is that I don't think it is suitable for my primary school audience. Some of my Year 6 girls would probably be interested, but the video that causes problems for Luna and the circumstances around it mean that overall I think this is best suited to Years 8-10.

Looking forward to what is next for Ms Harry!

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pip Harry absolutely brilliant

Alaska you sweet beautiful young woman - a must read for you darling ❤️ you are amazing as Luna

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous new verse novel from the talented Pip Harry. Told from Luna and Nate’s alternating perspectives, this sweet story explores friendship, family, teenage mental health and the importance of bees.

[whatbooknext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate isn’t happy moving away from his school, friends and life in Singapore. It doesn’t help watching his mum in constant pain after a back injury. His Dad is still in Singapore, but vows to join them soon. But soon is too far away for Nate.

Luna tries to connect with the new boy next door, but he blows her off. Maybe he’s seen the video too. The video from that party that has been shared 1000’s of times, bringing stares and whispers wherever she goes.

The bees arrive on mass from out of nowhere. Suddenly they’ve taken up residence in a wall in Nate’s new home. A local beekeeper tells them he can help, but they can’t rush it. Nate’s mum wants to call the pest control people, but he convinces her not to kill the creatures that help provide so much food in the world.

Luna helps Nate on the first day back at school. He’s missed three terms of their year, and feels completely lost. She enjoys having someone to talk to, after being ignored or whispered about since the video.

Together, along with a surfing beekeeper, his girlfriend, and 20,000 bees, they begin to put their lives back together, discovering the courage they need in each other to move on.

It’s far from smooth, with more than one betrayal that seem insurmountable. Time, love and new people in their lives help heal the hurts and rebuild their confidence.


This verse novel is so full of love. Pip Harry has captured so many different types of relationships beautifully in Drift. Bees (and their honey) are the catalyst that kick off the novel and bring this wonderful group of characters together.

Issues of environment, cyber bullying, mental health and the healing power of running and swimming, are woven together sweetly in an authentically portrayed Real Life novel.

When you’ve finished reading, Drift feels like a warm hug.

[kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first book ive read by this author and i loved it!

14 year old nate just moved to australia with his mum, who needs an operation on her back. his neighbour, luna, struggles after a video of her being physically attacked is spread around online. nate and luna become friends as they devise a plan to save a swarm of bees.

this book covers topics of bullying, friendship, mental health and strained family relationships. it is written in a way that is digestible for younger teen readers, without feeling like it is censoring our main characters hardships.

i particularly appreciate how realistic this book felt! i love how it had mention of yo-chi (<3) and even opal cards (..and a bit of shade to the detachment felt when people use chatgpt to write supposedly heartfelt messages). as well as this, tyler and cami’s struggle to find a simple one bedroom unit to rent is something a lot of people will relate to.

the simplicity of living in an australian bush and beach-y suburb was weaved in well as were the environmental topics.

all in all this was a lovely verse novel, perfect for highschool aged readers but of course anyone could enjoy it. highly recommend!! :3

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well constructed and flowing verse novel from two perspectives. Nate is in his mid-teens, recently arrived from Singapore whilst his mother awaits spinal surgery with Dad tying uip work commitments before returning to Australia. He is quite reclusive but slowly strikes up a friendship with next door neighbour Luna. She is a keen mountain biker and long distance runner by recently traumatised by a viral video clip of her being attacked by two girls at a party. Term break is about ten end and Nate has to face a new school and Luna the isolation arising from her beating. sensitive and understanding ally however is nursing her own darkness.

When over 20,000 swarming bees move into the walls of Nate's home him mother wants to destroy them allows Nate to call a local beekeeper and Tyler arrives to find a solution and hopefully relocate the bees. This are many contemporary themes and issues deftly unfolded in this ultimately hopeful story that celebrate family and friendship. The current varroa bee virus and potential impact on Australia and the bee industry, cyber bullying, self harm, caring for parents.

[Natasha Quaill · Rating 5 out of 5]

🐝 “Drift” by Pip Harry was an unexpected phenomenal read! I picked it up for my year 9 English class but fell in love with the clever and poetic writing style of narrative poetry; something I’d normally stay away from.

It truly represented the modern Australian teenage experience so well without it being so on the nose about its messages to youth about social media, friendships drifting apart, mental health, and authentic desire for connection and trust in one another.

The basic premise is that Nate (14yrs) and his mum move to Australia from Singapore to a dilapidated house near the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Soon, it gets overtaken by a swarm of 20,000 bees and it brings his new neighbour, Luna, closer together. Throughout the novel, Luna deals with her own feelings of isolation despite having grown up in the town. Relationships drift apart and together throughout the story but it becomes a beautiful metaphor about life and the twists and turns we all experience when we least expect it.

I highly recommend reading this and I can’t wait to read another classic from Pip Harry. 🐝

[Atlanta Bushnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drift by Pip Harry is a beautiful novel in verse that truly shines. It is filled with warmth and heart and I cannot recommend it enough.

This story is told from the dual POVs of Nate and Luna, and I loved both their narrations.

Nate and his mother have moved back to Australia after spending most of his life in Singapore, and they move into the house next door to Luna. Nate is trying to help his mother, who is waiting for a back operation, while adjusting to his new life here in Australia and trying to fit into a new school.

Luna is struggling with mental health issues and is retreating from the world after a horrible incident that covers some tough topics involving bullying and cyber bullying.

But then Nate moves in next door and discovers a hive of honeybees in the wall of his house, and this strange situation brings them and the community together in a beautiful story of healing.

This book contains themes of school bullying, cyber bullying and self harm, so please check the trigger warnings.

I would recommend this book for YA readers and audience.

Thank you Hachette Australia for the gifted review copy.

[Helen Farch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new Pip Harry verse novel is always something to be celebrated.... and this one is magical.

Definitely in the Young Adult age group, rather than the younger audiences her other recent books have been aimed at, this book covers some topical and tough topics.

Students aged 14 and up will relate to the themes covered, such as online bullying, friendship changes, family issues, and first loves... all told in beautiful verse and evocative narrative.

The importance of bees to the environment is highlighted throughout the book, and this is also something young people care about.

Verse novels are often promoted as good books for reluctant readers, and this is definitely one I will be getting into the hands of as many students as I can - both avid and reluctant readers alike.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to Hachette Australia for the review copy of this book.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of Pip Harry and her writing, so was keen to read this one. Written in verse novel format which I quite enjoy these days. Nate lives with his injured mum and has bees in the wall. Luna has gone viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. And Tyler and his girlfriend live in their van chasing the surf. They all come together to support each other and face a number of challenges.
Little bit of reference to self harm - but minimal.
Bit about the damage that social media can create and the aspect of bullying, but also that it’s ok to get professional help and that everyone has a talent and you need to lean into your talent - for Luna that is running
East read and good for high year 6 students and up

[Julia Surducki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entirely adorable; I read it in a day. Pip Harry's signature verse style is extremely readable, and I loved the young protagonists, Nate and Luna, as they undergo the trials and tribulations of being fish out of water (Nate has just moved to the Northern beaches from Singapore with his mum, Amber, and Luna is struggling to get to school after some horrific bullying). Together they look after bees (which swarm Nate's house at the start of the book), make friends (the adorable bee-keeping couple, Tyler and Cami, and some new kids at school), and look after each other. Just the right amount of suspenseful and uplifting - a great read!

[Cass A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drift is another powerful verse novel by Sydney author, Pip Harry.
14-year-old Nate, recently returned from living in Singapore, is intrigued when a swarm of bees moves into the walls of his house. He is determined they will be rehomed and becomes involved in the process.
So begins a beautiful story of curiosity and care for the natural world, intertwined with issues of fitting in and the viciousness of ostracism; the effects of debilitating illness; and the blossoming of friendships between people of all ages connected by the bees.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed. I cried. I wanted to hang out with Luna and Nate longer. I reached for the honey pot ... Another fine example of a fine verse novel that every Year 9 and above should partake in.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pip Harry always writes a cracking novel for teens: the topics are so timely. This will be my most recommended book to my year 7-9 students!

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A YA verse novel that deals with change, moving and meeting new friends as well as the fallout of videos going viral with teen girls. Very well done!!

Read by Suzie and Belinda