Beholding Bee

Gr 4–8—Ever since the death of her parents when she was a small child, Bee has lived with the carnival. It hasn't been a normal upbringing but, as she knows, she's not a normal girl. She has a diamond-shaped birthmark on her face. People stare. Children tease. She covers it with her hair when she can, but knows it is always there. Always there, too, is Pauline who has taken care of her since she was orphaned. And there's someone else she sees frequently—the lady in the floppy hat. Oddly, nobody else seems to notice her. Then Pauline goes away and suddenly Bee is alone again, with a carnival owner who wants to exploit her for her birthmark, and an unauthorized dog. She runs away and is led to a new home where two strange but kind women take her in. One of them is the woman in the floppy hat. They take care of her, but she's the only one who can see them. Why? And what is their connection to her and her connection to the house they share? Bee ponders this as she deals with a school bully, learning to cook, and taking care of her "aunts," her pig, and her dog, all while making a new friend. At last she feels loved and she's starting to let other really see her. Fusco's gently sweet story (Knopf, 2013) is set in the 1940s. Ariadne Meyers narrates with a tender smile in her voice and makes Bee come alive for listeners. This thoughtful, heartwarming story is a small treasure.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA