Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Publisher: Random House Audio

Publish Date: February 12, 2013

Format: Audio

Discs: 7

ISBN: 978 0385361279

Bee is an orphan who lives with a carnival and sleeps in the back of a tractor trailer.  Every day she endures taunts for the birthmark on her face – though her beloved Pauline, the only person who has ever cared for her, tells her it is a precious diamond.  When Pauline is sent to work for another carnival, Bee is lost.

Then a scruffy dog shows up, as unwanted as she, and Bee realizes that she must find a home for them both.  She runs off to a house with gingerbread trim that reminds her of frosting.  There are two mysterious women, Mrs. Swift and Mrs. Potter that take her in.  They clothe her, though their clothes are strangely out of date.  They feed her, though there is nothing in their house to eat.  They help her go to school, though they won’t enter the building themselves.  And, strangely, only Bee seems able to see them.

Whoever these women are, they matter.  They matter to Bee.  And they are helping Bee realize that she, too, matters to the world – if only she will let herself be a part of it.

My Thoughts

I happened to stumble upon this one while looking online for audio books at my local library.  When I went to pick it up I was told it was located in the middle grade/young adult section.  I was going to leave it behind when I discovered it was juvenile, but I was just so drawn to the cover and the concept behind the story I just couldn't resist.  And I am very glad I didn't!

What a powerful story that is full of self discovery and self acceptance and at the center of it all is courageous heroine Bee that you can't help but root for and fall in love with.  I loved the setting, 1942 travelling carnival during the height of WWII and found it the perfect backdrop for this story.  I loved Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Swift, and thought they were a nice touch to the plot and really enjoyed the magical aspect that only Bee could see them.  All I wanted while reading was to go out and buy a floppy orange hat.  I hated Pauline for abandoning our precious little Bee when she needed her most, all for a love interest.  But in the end Pauline had redeeming qualities.  

Packed full of wisdom, heartbreak and hope, it's not just a story for kids.  Adults will fall in love with it as well. I thought it was a very enchanting book narrated by Ariadne Meyers; whom I loved listening to reading The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen.  Meyers will help you fall in love with Bee just a little bit more.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.