Beholding Bee in Mock Newbery 2026

Mar 02, 2013 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: character-study, 2013-books, great-characters, literary-elements, mg-chapter, read-aloud-possibility, books-read-in-2013

I noticed that this book has a solid "4" as its rating by GoodReads readers, but I have to tell you, I LOVED this book. This book is gritty tale about a story of survival under some very adverse situations. I love the main character, Bee, a young girl. I love that all the women in this story needed to be strong for a variety of reasons. For me, this next statement is unusual - I loved the ghostly presences in the story. I can understand the concerns about the implausible parts of the plot, but e ...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Leslie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middlegrade, sel

A beautiful story about creating family and community. Everyone we meet in the world is dealing with something difficult or challenging in their lives--some things more visible than others. Beholding Bee helps us realize that we must look past outward appearances and behaviors and to get to know who people are in their hearts.

The lyrical writing and short chapters make this book easy to read and accessible to many readers, but it is Bee (and the many wonderfully human characters that support her ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Mary Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: self-esteem, middle-grade, straighttomyheart, coming-of-age, characters, 2013

Love. This. Book.

Love the characters. Love the craft. Love the wisdom. Love the messages. Love the magic.

Love this in my heart (and trading "compression sleeve" for "birthmark"): "Everyone is always going to notice your birthmark, Bee. It's like Ellen's brace. You can't help but notice. But it's what people do after they notice that's important. Do they treat you like a person with dignity? Or do they baby you and coddle you or make fun of you or worse?"

Summer #bookaday 57 ...more

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Aug 12, 2013 Dest rated it really liked it

Shelves: people-with-disabilities, middle-grade, historical-fiction, magical-realism, families, adoption, bullies

This is the story of an orphan girl named Bee who lives with a traveling carnival. It's set during WWII, but all the action is in small town America. Bee has a large birthmark on her face which attracts unwanted attention and bullying. When the story begins her only friend is Pauline, the young woman who has taken care of Bee since her parents died.

Bee narrates the story with a calm and steady fortitude that only rarely dissolves into sadness. Her voice was at times charming, soothing, and a bi This is the story of an orphan girl named Bee who lives with a traveling carnival. It's set during WWII, but all the action is in small town America. Bee has a large birthmark on her face which attracts unwanted attention and bullying. When the story begins her only friend is Pauline, the young woman who has taken care of Bee since her parents died.

Bee narrates the story with a calm and steady fortitude that only rarely dissolves into sadness. Her voice was at times charming, soothing, and a bit stiff to me. It's difficult to describe, but I think some examples will do. She often speaks in precepts:

"When you are sleeping in the back of a hauling truck you do not want anybody coming in and bothering you."
"Generally, it is not a good idea to fret too long over things like ladies who disappear."
"As a general rule of thumb, it is a good idea to think about other things when you are bothered."
"Generally, when you find yourself in a bad situation it is a good idea not to make it worse."

Right from the beginning, Bee tells us why she has so many adages to live by: "When you have a diamond on your face, you have rules about things."

The story takes a turn when Bee decides to leave the dull and difficult carnival life to find a new home for herself, her dog, Peabody, and her favorite pig, Cordelia. She is guided by a woman in an orange floppy hat, who, Bee realizes, is only visible to Bee and Peabody. As is almost always the case in stories such as these, Bee discovers strength and confidence she didn't know she had. (Interestingly, she turns into a bit of a bully herself when given the chance to get back at one of her tormenters.)

Besides the obvious theme of thriving despite your hardships, there were also themes of acknowledging the hardships of others, making your own family, and discovering your past. This book stands out from other "triumphing over adversity" stories and "non-traditional family" stories because of the magical realism elements and the distinctness of Bee's voice. The plot sort of ambles but the mystery of the lady in the orange floppy hat should keep readers turning the pages. ...more

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Jan 22, 2014 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: kids-books, drama

Bee's mother and father die in a traffic accident when she is four, and a traveling circus picks her up because she has a huge diamond birthmark on her face. While she grows up in the circus she learns to read, write, and cook all because a girl named Pauline takes her under her wing. However, when Pauline leaves the circus, so does Bee. She is alone in the world for the first time until she comes upon 2 strange ladies who she can only see. She lives in a house that is supposed to be abandoned b ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Susan Dunn rated it really liked it

Shelves: j-fiction, committee-2013

Orphaned Bee has known no other home than the traveling show she was raised in. After her parents were killed, Bee was taken care of by Pauline, the girl who runs the hot dog cart. Together, the two sleep in the back of a hauling truck, and at age eleven, Bee has never been to school. When the show owner sends Pauline off to another venue and expects Bee to start running the hot dog cart by herself, Bee runs away. She finds her way to a beautiful house inhabited by two mysterious women dressed i ...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: junior-fiction

Another wonderfully imaginative strong girl protagonist story-orphaned girl who works at a carnival with a prominent birthmark on her face-bullying, family, and mysterious "aunts" she can only see. ...more

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