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Belle Teal
Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin's gripping, widely acclaimed novel of a girl confronting the perils of friendship and the conflicts of community.Belle Teal's life isn't easy, but she gets by. She lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. They don't have much money, but Belle Teal feels rich with their love. As school begins, Belle Teal faces unexpected challenges. Her best friends are up against some big problems. And there are two new students in Belle Teal's class: a shy boy caught in the town's furor over desegregation, and a snob who has problems of her own. As her world falls apart, Belle Teal discovers the importance of sticking together.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
30 people are currently reading
719 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,112 books3,058 followersAnn Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
May 11, 2009
This is a book about a young girl named Belle Teal. She lives with her mother and her Grandmother. Her Grandmother is losing her memory, and her mother is always working, taking on many jobs. When belle teal starts the school year, there are some new kids. One of them is african american. Most of the people in her school think that he doesnt belong at their school, she stands up for him and they become fast friends.
There are many troubles in the class, a lot of lies, excuses, and hatred. But belle teal overcomes it all.
This is a great book, and i suggest it to everybody.
There are many troubles in the class, a lot of lies, excuses, and hatred. But belle teal overcomes it all.
This is a great book, and i suggest it to everybody.
July 8, 2016
Well I love the main character. She knows right from wrong, and knows what she wants from life, and does everything a ten year old girl in a stressful situation can do to make good things happen. She minds her manners, helps her gran, works hard in school, sticks up for her friends, makes friends, or at least tries, with everyone, even handles the Mean Girl well, controlling her impulse to fight with her.
But oh the stresses - everything but the kitchen sink is crammed in here. BT's family is her, her mama who works long hours, and her grandma is getting very senile. They have almost no money. There's one friend who is new to the school because he's black and this is the first year of integration. There's another friend with an extremely racist, and abusive, and drunk father. There's another friend, Clarice, who's a terrifically spunky & fun character (I wonder if Martin doesn't know a girl like her irl, as she's so well-developed and authentic despite having a small role.) There's being ten, in and of itself a challenge. There's the Mean Girl, also new to town.
The HEA is, unfortunately, extr. implausible, because Gran is going to get worse, and then who will take care of her so Mama can work and BT can go to school?
And some ppl might not be able to stomach the frequent occurrences of the n-word, even though it's exactly appropriate to the book being historical fiction, showing how some parents of white children harassed the brave black families.
Overall, the book is, perhaps, a little too earnest, a little too stuffed full of issues... but it is engaging, gracefully written, accessible, and important.
I think it would have been just about perfect if Gran had been healthy - the focus on the rest of the issues would have been tighter, and the relevance they have to each other, theme-wise, would have been more clear.
I do recommend the book and want to read more by the author. Heck, I might even pick up one of her babysitter club books just for fun.
But oh the stresses - everything but the kitchen sink is crammed in here. BT's family is her, her mama who works long hours, and her grandma is getting very senile. They have almost no money. There's one friend who is new to the school because he's black and this is the first year of integration. There's another friend with an extremely racist, and abusive, and drunk father. There's another friend, Clarice, who's a terrifically spunky & fun character (I wonder if Martin doesn't know a girl like her irl, as she's so well-developed and authentic despite having a small role.) There's being ten, in and of itself a challenge. There's the Mean Girl, also new to town.
The HEA is, unfortunately, extr. implausible, because Gran is going to get worse, and then who will take care of her so Mama can work and BT can go to school?
And some ppl might not be able to stomach the frequent occurrences of the n-word, even though it's exactly appropriate to the book being historical fiction, showing how some parents of white children harassed the brave black families.
Overall, the book is, perhaps, a little too earnest, a little too stuffed full of issues... but it is engaging, gracefully written, accessible, and important.
I think it would have been just about perfect if Gran had been healthy - the focus on the rest of the issues would have been tighter, and the relevance they have to each other, theme-wise, would have been more clear.
I do recommend the book and want to read more by the author. Heck, I might even pick up one of her babysitter club books just for fun.
October 8, 2016
I read this because it looked cool. It was very good. For a children's book, it deals with important topics, so I recommend this.
December 7, 2022
Such a good book for tween readers💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
June 29, 2009
Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin is a book about a girl named Belle Teal who is in the fifth grade. She is named after her grandmother. She lives with her mother and her grandmother. This book takes place at Coker Creek Elementary. Her father died when she was little. One internal struggle that she faces is that she really likes a boy who is kind of racists called Little Boss. One main external struggle she faces is that her grandmother is losing her memory.
During my time reading this book I made a text-to-self connection. There was a part in the book where Belle has to go through being bullied a girl who thinks she is better then Belle. This reminded me of when I was younger. There were always people who thought that they were better then me for many reasons. Even though we have gone through this we find out that those people are never what they seem to be. We learn that how you act isn’t really how you are.
I would give this book 5 star. I really liked how I was able to connect to the book. I liked how there were things that I have experienced. I also liked the characters. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to connect to the book. Also to someone who agrees with combining two different races.
During my time reading this book I made a text-to-self connection. There was a part in the book where Belle has to go through being bullied a girl who thinks she is better then Belle. This reminded me of when I was younger. There were always people who thought that they were better then me for many reasons. Even though we have gone through this we find out that those people are never what they seem to be. We learn that how you act isn’t really how you are.
I would give this book 5 star. I really liked how I was able to connect to the book. I liked how there were things that I have experienced. I also liked the characters. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to connect to the book. Also to someone who agrees with combining two different races.
January 29, 2008
Description: Belle Teal Harper is used to going with-out. She lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. Her fifth-grade back-to-school outfit is her fourth-grade dress. Still, Belle Teal feels rich with the love of her family and her best friends, Clarice and Little Boss. But as school begins, Belle Teal faces unexpected challenges. Gran's memory is slipping away. Mama works longer hours to support the family. Little Boss' troubled relationship with his father, Big boss, is pushing him to extremes. And there are 2 new students in Belle Teal's class: a shy African-American boy caught in towns furor over desegregation, and a girl whose outward confidence belies the secret she holds close.
July 24, 2018
A wonderful book. This book is must read for anyone who wants to learn about a time when segregation was the law and separate and unequal was the norm. This book is a very realistic story of the intergration of a rural Virginia school and shows with realism events which took place all over our country. As an Black American female born in 1960, I was blessed to live in an area in rural Kentucky where we didn't have the kind if issues other places had. I realize now that I was extremely fortunate to grow up there.
April 27, 2021
I appreciate the author’s attempt to deal with racism, child abuse, and Alzheimer’s in the 1960s. However, for a book written in 2000, there were still a lot of racial slurs used, even if by the antagonists. It felt unnecessary. The book struggled to deal with all of these themes at the same time—would have been more successful if it had focused on one. The author also tried to discuss poverty and bullying, but these topics barely scratched the surface. The whole things just felt contrived and incomplete.
March 15, 2010
Belle Teal is a very lovely book. I specialy love the relationship she had with her family, her friends, and with little boss. It's absolutley amazing how she delt with every thing that went on around her. Even how she delt with her granma's alziemers. I was hoping that more would happen with little boss though. Over all it was a good book.
September 20, 2016
I like the outlook that Belle Teale has as she faces being poor, and dealing with her beloved Gran aging. I also admire how she take the time to befriend the new African-American student Daryl. Good book.
December 23, 2023
This is really good. Reminds me a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird, with how so many serious topics are seen through the eyes of a child.
In 1960s America, 10 year old Belle Teal deals with:
- desegregation and racism
--- a handful of Black kids join their school; parents protest
--- one parent in particular, Big Boss, is extra hateful and dangerous
--- Belle Teal and her best friend Clarice befriend Darryl, the Black kid who joins their class, and it has consequences for their friendships
- domestic violence and child abuse - Martin handles this well
--- as readers, we can see all the signs that Big Boss abuses his kid Little Boss, but while Belle Teal can sense something's wrong, it takes her a while to be able to articulate it. There's a real sense of danger and violence in how Big Boss shows up on the page, and I legit feared for Little Boss.
--- Big Boss's racism intertwines with the abuse; when Little Boss bullies Darryl, there's a sense he's performing for his father. When , Little Boss's fear at his father's reaction is palpable.
--- it all comes to a head when (Yikes! This book was set in the 1960s and published in 2001. It's sad how often this still happens today.)
- bullying
--- kids bully Darryl, and Belle Teal has to deal with new kid mean girl snob Vanessa who basically calls her white trash
- dementia
--- Belle Teal's beloved grandmother is beginning to forget things, and it's heartbreaking to see through Belle Teal's eyes
There's also friendship and crushes and a Christmas pageant. I also like how Belle Teal gets to understand Vanessa more by the end.
I also love the final moment of
It's a more serious book than Martin's BSC series, but includes lots of what makes BSC so great: kids learning to deal with everyday situations, confront hate, and develop deeper understanding of other people's lived experiences. So good.
In 1960s America, 10 year old Belle Teal deals with:
- desegregation and racism
--- a handful of Black kids join their school; parents protest
--- one parent in particular, Big Boss, is extra hateful and dangerous
--- Belle Teal and her best friend Clarice befriend Darryl, the Black kid who joins their class, and it has consequences for their friendships
- domestic violence and child abuse - Martin handles this well
--- as readers, we can see all the signs that Big Boss abuses his kid Little Boss, but while Belle Teal can sense something's wrong, it takes her a while to be able to articulate it. There's a real sense of danger and violence in how Big Boss shows up on the page, and I legit feared for Little Boss.
--- Big Boss's racism intertwines with the abuse; when Little Boss bullies Darryl, there's a sense he's performing for his father. When , Little Boss's fear at his father's reaction is palpable.
--- it all comes to a head when (Yikes! This book was set in the 1960s and published in 2001. It's sad how often this still happens today.)
- bullying
--- kids bully Darryl, and Belle Teal has to deal with new kid mean girl snob Vanessa who basically calls her white trash
- dementia
--- Belle Teal's beloved grandmother is beginning to forget things, and it's heartbreaking to see through Belle Teal's eyes
There's also friendship and crushes and a Christmas pageant. I also like how Belle Teal gets to understand Vanessa more by the end.
I also love the final moment of
It's a more serious book than Martin's BSC series, but includes lots of what makes BSC so great: kids learning to deal with everyday situations, confront hate, and develop deeper understanding of other people's lived experiences. So good.
February 10, 2017
Belle Teal, written by Ann M. Martin, is about a young girl who has to go through a time of racism by many people. She has to learn to deal with the struggle of not having much money. Her father and grandfather passed away when she was young and she now lives with her mom and grandmother. Her mother often works more than one shift in multiple jobs everyday to bring in as much money as she can for her family. Her grandmother is struggling with alzheimer's and Belle Teal and her mother have to learn to have patience with her forgetfulness. However the main problem that Belle Teal has herself is dealing with racism. In an all-white school, there are colored kids to be joining them and most parents and students believe that colored kids are unwanted. Belle Teal and her best friend, Clarice, want to make the new colored kids feel as welcome as possible. They know that it is wrong to judge based on how someone looks, but they can’t seem to get others to understand that.
The theme of the book, Belle Teal, is to not judge by what you see on the outside. Belle Teal’s mother likes to remind her of that. Belle Teal’s mother states, “Hate just creates more hate” (pg 97) and she is right. When people show hate, all it does is make things worse. When the parents and students hate on the colored kids, it only brings more hate. Little Boss, a kid in Belle Teal and Clarice’s class, makes fun of the girls for hanging out with colored kids. However, the girls like their friend, Darryl, even if he is colored. They don’t mind that he does not look the same as them. The girls don’t understand why people have a problem with it. Having a different look isn’t what should matter, it is what’s on the inside that really counts. A few kids in the girls’ class give the girls a hard time because they don’t have as much money as some of the other kids. They also like to make them feel like they are doing the wrong thing by becoming friends with colored kids, but they don’t listen because they truly know what is right, which is that Darryl, Winnie, and Terrance are good kids even though they are colored. They know that the color of your skin doesn’t determine whether or not you are a good kid.
The style of the book, Belle Teal, is a narrative, and it was written to entertain but with an informing lesson being taught. It is an entertaining book but it shows the major problem with racism. I think Ann M. Martin does a good job truly showing how the girls feel about the racist students and parents. She tells what’s going through their innocent minds, they think about what they can do to get people to see the real Darryl, not just what’s on the outside. When the girls get ready for their first day of school, they are most excited about their new teacher, Miss Casey, who they have waited to have as their teacher ever since they first heard about her. Belle Teal saw angry parents standing outside the school with signs as she was walking inside the school with Clarice. She soon figured out that they were angry because of the new colored students. She had many questions as to why the parents were there chanting mean things at the kids and teachers. However, as soon as the girls felt the comfort of walking into Miss Casey’s room, Belle thinks, “All those questions that were forming on my tongue - the ones about the angry parents and their signs- melt away at the sight of Miss Casey at her desk” (29). She feels much more comfortable after she notices the presence of the nicest teacher she’s heard about. She can’t wait for her to mention the new students, even the colored ones, which she later becomes friends with. The girls face a lot of racism because they are friends with a colored boy. They are slowly learning how to deal with it, though. They understand that some people will just never understand that judging someone based on the color of their skin is wrong. However, Belle Teal has a few friends herself, that are very racist towards Darryl. Little Boss, Vernon, and Chas are all some of Belle Teal’s friends but they upset her quite often by making racist comments. In one chapter, Vernon was talking about a performance the class had set up about the birth of Jesus and when Darryl received the part of a King, Vernon said “Colored people had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ” (148), which is very racist, and untrue. It is completely wrong to tell someone it is incorrect to be treated a certain way just because they are colored. Later on in the story, Darryl is accused of shooting Little Boss, although it was Little Boss who accidentally shot himself in the leg while playing around with his father’s gun. Belle Teal and Clarice both know that Darryl didn’t shoot him, but everyone else seems to believe it. Darryl had talked to the girls about how much trouble he could get in for this, but when the girls tried to reassure him that he wouldn’t get in trouble because he didn’t do it, all he managed to say was “But it’s our word against a white man’s” (175), which was sadly true. Although Big Boss, Little Boss’s father, eventually spoke up about the lie, it is sad that Darryl knew how easily he could get in trouble for something he knew he wouldn’t do. I think Ann M. Martin wanted to show that it is right to get to know someone before you create an opinion about them. It is wrong to judge someone in any way until you get to know them. Even if they seem to only be bringing negativity, you never know what they are going through personally.
I very much enjoyed the book Belle Teal. I would give this book a 5 stars out of 5 because it is a very good and entertaining story however, it also covers a very important lesson about racism. It informs people about how much of a struggle it is for colored people every day. It shows a daily thing they go through just because of the color of their skin. I liked this book a lot and there are only a few minor things I would change. When people find out about Big Boss’s lie about Little Boss accidentally shooting himself in the leg, they never see Little Boss again and I would have liked to know where he ended up when he left. I also would have liked the story to continue on a little longer. The story only covers Belle Teal’s life over her first semester of the fifth grade and I would have liked to see more of her year. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would suggest it to others.
The theme of the book, Belle Teal, is to not judge by what you see on the outside. Belle Teal’s mother likes to remind her of that. Belle Teal’s mother states, “Hate just creates more hate” (pg 97) and she is right. When people show hate, all it does is make things worse. When the parents and students hate on the colored kids, it only brings more hate. Little Boss, a kid in Belle Teal and Clarice’s class, makes fun of the girls for hanging out with colored kids. However, the girls like their friend, Darryl, even if he is colored. They don’t mind that he does not look the same as them. The girls don’t understand why people have a problem with it. Having a different look isn’t what should matter, it is what’s on the inside that really counts. A few kids in the girls’ class give the girls a hard time because they don’t have as much money as some of the other kids. They also like to make them feel like they are doing the wrong thing by becoming friends with colored kids, but they don’t listen because they truly know what is right, which is that Darryl, Winnie, and Terrance are good kids even though they are colored. They know that the color of your skin doesn’t determine whether or not you are a good kid.
The style of the book, Belle Teal, is a narrative, and it was written to entertain but with an informing lesson being taught. It is an entertaining book but it shows the major problem with racism. I think Ann M. Martin does a good job truly showing how the girls feel about the racist students and parents. She tells what’s going through their innocent minds, they think about what they can do to get people to see the real Darryl, not just what’s on the outside. When the girls get ready for their first day of school, they are most excited about their new teacher, Miss Casey, who they have waited to have as their teacher ever since they first heard about her. Belle Teal saw angry parents standing outside the school with signs as she was walking inside the school with Clarice. She soon figured out that they were angry because of the new colored students. She had many questions as to why the parents were there chanting mean things at the kids and teachers. However, as soon as the girls felt the comfort of walking into Miss Casey’s room, Belle thinks, “All those questions that were forming on my tongue - the ones about the angry parents and their signs- melt away at the sight of Miss Casey at her desk” (29). She feels much more comfortable after she notices the presence of the nicest teacher she’s heard about. She can’t wait for her to mention the new students, even the colored ones, which she later becomes friends with. The girls face a lot of racism because they are friends with a colored boy. They are slowly learning how to deal with it, though. They understand that some people will just never understand that judging someone based on the color of their skin is wrong. However, Belle Teal has a few friends herself, that are very racist towards Darryl. Little Boss, Vernon, and Chas are all some of Belle Teal’s friends but they upset her quite often by making racist comments. In one chapter, Vernon was talking about a performance the class had set up about the birth of Jesus and when Darryl received the part of a King, Vernon said “Colored people had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ” (148), which is very racist, and untrue. It is completely wrong to tell someone it is incorrect to be treated a certain way just because they are colored. Later on in the story, Darryl is accused of shooting Little Boss, although it was Little Boss who accidentally shot himself in the leg while playing around with his father’s gun. Belle Teal and Clarice both know that Darryl didn’t shoot him, but everyone else seems to believe it. Darryl had talked to the girls about how much trouble he could get in for this, but when the girls tried to reassure him that he wouldn’t get in trouble because he didn’t do it, all he managed to say was “But it’s our word against a white man’s” (175), which was sadly true. Although Big Boss, Little Boss’s father, eventually spoke up about the lie, it is sad that Darryl knew how easily he could get in trouble for something he knew he wouldn’t do. I think Ann M. Martin wanted to show that it is right to get to know someone before you create an opinion about them. It is wrong to judge someone in any way until you get to know them. Even if they seem to only be bringing negativity, you never know what they are going through personally.
I very much enjoyed the book Belle Teal. I would give this book a 5 stars out of 5 because it is a very good and entertaining story however, it also covers a very important lesson about racism. It informs people about how much of a struggle it is for colored people every day. It shows a daily thing they go through just because of the color of their skin. I liked this book a lot and there are only a few minor things I would change. When people find out about Big Boss’s lie about Little Boss accidentally shooting himself in the leg, they never see Little Boss again and I would have liked to know where he ended up when he left. I also would have liked the story to continue on a little longer. The story only covers Belle Teal’s life over her first semester of the fifth grade and I would have liked to see more of her year. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would suggest it to others.
October 19, 2025
Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin is about a girl named Belle Teal Harper who lives with her mom and grandma. When her school starts letting black students in, some kids and parents acted mean toward them. Bell Teal becomes friends with one of the new students named Darryl, even though other people didn't like it. There's also a rich girl in her class named Vanessa who looks down on others, but Belle Teal doesn't let her get away with it. I like how Belle Teal stands up for her friends and speaks out when she knows something is wrong.
I think this book is really nice to read because it shows how a kid can be brave even when things are unfair. My favorite part was when Belle Teal defended Darryl and showed she cared more about their friendship than what others thought. It also shows her struggles at home with her grandma getting sick, but she stays strong. The story teaches us to be kind, fair and not judge people by how they look. I think a lot of students can relate to Belle Teal because she's trying her best to do the right thing.
I think this book is really nice to read because it shows how a kid can be brave even when things are unfair. My favorite part was when Belle Teal defended Darryl and showed she cared more about their friendship than what others thought. It also shows her struggles at home with her grandma getting sick, but she stays strong. The story teaches us to be kind, fair and not judge people by how they look. I think a lot of students can relate to Belle Teal because she's trying her best to do the right thing.
December 25, 2024
It's an easy read. I'd read a few Ann Martin's books previously, and really liked the protagonist in this novel who is resilient, loyal, and open-minded. I liked that this novel threads through a few difficult topics such as an aging grandparent, poverty/class differences, racism, and parental neglect and abuse. While it dealt with a lot of difficult issues, it didn't feel unnatural or forced - helps you realize kids do deal with a lot of issues in their everyday life. I also appreciated how this book didn't sugarcoat things and force to end it in a happily-ever-after fashion. I requested more books by the author and look forward to reading them.
July 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book about a young ten year old girl. It is really fun to read as she tells her story. The book is packed with so many different issues early racism when black children first start attending school. There are so many twists and turns. This book is a really sad book. The author tries to make it light, but it is anything but light. I think that it tackles a lot of really hard subjects and would be a good book club book.
November 13, 2023
Ann M. Martin has never disappointed me. Even when a book seems like it will be slow or not my favorite genre (historical fiction), she always nails it with a relatable voice and true characters. This is a story about desegregation in schools during the 1960s from the POV of a little white girl. WARNING (slash/ I can't believe this made it in): there are several instances of the N-word in dialogue from racist characters. For that reason, I might not share this one with a child in the year 2023.
July 5, 2021
This book was absolutely amazing! Belle Teal is such a strong character and great role model for children. In this book multiple characters go through hard challenges, but Belle is always very kind to everyone. In the book Belle also learns in the end that you never know what someone else is going through. I definitely recommend to all ages!
June 22, 2023
The desegregation of schools in the South as seen through the eyes of a white, female, sixth-grader.
Belle Teal learns that people are not always what you think they are and that life is very complicated. Ann Martin does a great job in telling this story and it is well worth the time it takes to read it.
Belle Teal learns that people are not always what you think they are and that life is very complicated. Ann Martin does a great job in telling this story and it is well worth the time it takes to read it.
February 1, 2018
This bool was not what i expected but it is a book i will pass on to my future kiddos! You never know what is really going on. Kids while can be mean, usually see people for people and if they are mean there is usually something behind it!!!
March 14, 2021
This book is amazing!! I love the main character and how she handles adversity when it comes her way. This book has a number of characters that make you wonder how many could be present in any elementary classroom. This book makes you realize that looks can be deceiving.
September 19, 2021
How refreshing to read a book about a young girl with a strong sense of what is good and right. And she's willing to stand up for herself and for others. In the madness that is our world today, we need more Belle Teals.
March 25, 2024
she was certainly telling a story!!! all four plot lines were okay, but when you only have 200 pages, it was hard for any of them to develop.
I loved Darryl and is kindness in the face of adversity. Belle Teal and Clarisse were slay, but Vanessa was awful. 💅🏼
I loved Darryl and is kindness in the face of adversity. Belle Teal and Clarisse were slay, but Vanessa was awful. 💅🏼
Want to read
June 1, 2025*** mentioned (read by one of the students) in Because of Mr. Terupt
June 3, 2025
Scholastic books, the books that you are. Another solid middle grade book that tackles some heavy themes (bullying, desegregation/racism, abuse). An easy read, but introduces and discusses what it intended to decently well (I think at least).
February 26, 2017
A short story that's fun and lively although distinctly juvenile and relatively lacking in detail.
November 30, 2018
Gentle approach to dealing with racism and Alzheimer's amidst all the smaller troubles of a 10-year-old.
December 28, 2018
Lessons in the book are balanced by very good writing. When I was middle school age, this book would have been interesting and satisfying to me. As an adult, I enjoyed it very much.
March 23, 2019
I loved this book. Great story. I felt like I was Belle.
August 6, 2019
I love this book. I'd recommend it to anyone--any age. It's a marvelous read. Four stars.
September 29, 2019
Bravery to do what's right no matter what.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews