The Way to Bea

June 26, 2017
At the end of sixth grade, avid poetry writer Beatrix “Bea” Lee had close friends, but she’s starting seventh grade as a social outcast after embarrassing herself at a pool party. Bea tries to fly under the radar, but as the school newspaper’s new poetry editor, she starts making friends who embrace her as she is: Briggs, the Broadside’s exuberant editor in chief, and Will, an autistic student who hangs out in the newspaper office. Will is obsessed with walking the hedge labyrinth on a nearby private estate, and Bea decides to help. She’s also having a secret correspondence: someone has begun reading and responding to the poems Bea writes in invisible ink and hides on school grounds. Yeh (The Truth About Twinkie Pie) homes in on the pain of not fitting in and of being discarded by a trusted friend (in a telling detail, Bea’s narration avoids even saying her former friends’ names, using only their initials). Bea’s social missteps will be excruciatingly relatable to many readers, and her slow journey to self-acceptance is moving and wise. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary.

June 1, 2017
Yeh (The Truth about Twinkie Pie, 2015) explores mazes, friendship, and individuality. Taiwanese-American budding poet Beatrix Lee, taking after her free-spirited artist parents, has always danced to the beat of her own playlist. But she enters seventh grade resolved to be as invisible as the ink she writes with. Lately, her best friend, S, has grown painfully and realistically distant, finding Bea's exuberance embarrassing. However, an invisible friend has begun answering the soul-searching poems Bea tucks into a wall. Is it the empathetic librarian who always recommends the right book? Or Briggs, the offbeat white student who edits the school newspaper and who likes her poetry? Or Will, the analytical white boy who's fascinated with labyrinths (and whom readers may identify as autistic)? Part friend and part plot device, Will resembles one of Bea's haiku, delivering sharp insights within the rigid structures of his routines. When Bea decides to help Will break into a famous local labyrinth via convenient plot loopholes, their plan takes an unexpected turn, and Bea must decide who her real friends are. When Bea emerges from the intricately drawn maze of her conflicting feelings, she makes a mature decision with a compassionate twist. The author includes a list of the songs in Bea's soundtrack, but her allusions to other books go unidentified, enjoyable Extra Credit Curveballs (as Bea's teacher would call them). Gets to the heart of middle school awkwardness like a sympathetic haiku. (Fiction. 9-13)

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Starred review from July 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-Seventh grader Beatrix Lee puts a lot of faith in haiku. Since her family and friendships are changing dramatically, Bea abandons her love of free verse poetry and takes solace in the haiku's dependable five-seven-five rhyme scheme. After an embarrassing incident at a pool party causes a painful rift with her longtime best friend, Bea writes most of her poetry in invisible ink, a reflection of the loneliness she feels at school and at home, where her parents are happily preparing for a new baby. Bea's love of words starts to reemerge with the encouragement of a supportive librarian who introduces her to the kids at Broadside, the school newspaper. During lunch time, Bea takes refuge in the Broadside office, where she meets Briggs, the paper's editor, who makes her feel like a valued member of a team, and Will, who is obsessed with labyrinths. When Bea decides to show Will a labyrinth that belongs to a wealthy and mysterious local resident, she learns the identity of the person who is leaving notes for her in a secret spot near her house. As Bea works her way through the maze of new friendships and a new role in her family, she begins to see herself and her friends more clearly. Readers will connect with Bea's first-person narrative of her winding path toward discovering her strengths. VERDICT This character-driven story is a winning combination of humor, heart, and redemption. Recommended for all libraries.-Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA

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