Miss Bee's Books

There are few books I would recommend as highly as this one. Through My Eyes is the amazing autobiographical account of Ruby Bridges' first year at the newly integrated William Frantz Elementary School. Swamped with work as I was when I first read this book, I could not put it down. Since September it has been on my mind; I have written lessons on it and fervently recommended it to friends. This first hand account goes through the amazing struggles a six-year-old girl went through to integrate a school in New Orleans. It shows in the simplest and most visceral terms the impact of this young girls action, not only for the country, but for Ruby herself. It also shows the amazing struggle that integration was. For those of us who were not in the South at that time, it is easy to think that Brown v. Board of Education (1954) happened and suddenly all the schools rolled over and said "Well, that's that, I guess we'll integrate." It is especially easier wh...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a stunning visual exploration of the work of Impressionist artist Claude Monet. The 22 paintings featured in the book are accompanied by 2-5 word phrases lifted from Monet's own writing. The phrases come from personal letters to family and friends as well as articles in which he was quoted. The phrases are translated from french; some of the phrases are taken verbatim, while others are translated more freely. While this may sound jarring, overall it is impossible to tell. The text is poetic and links beautifully with the images; moreover, the text pulls the reader's attention to specific details of Monet's paintings, helping us fully appreciate the beauty of his work. The accompaniment of Monet's words breathe life into the paintings and create a poetic, yet brief narrative of a vibrant, breathtaking day. This book is a beautiful introduction to Claude Monet. It is engaging and an amazing resource for sparking inte...

When I grabbed I Want to be an Actor off the shelf, I envisioned myself opening it up, and ripping apart everything it had to say. A fact that I don't normally like to share with people (because honestly it just sounds silly) is that I've spent the better part of my life acting (see, now you are picturing me dressed all in black self-indulgently soliloquizing to a skull). But I was amazed. This book is actually a very good resource for children who want to learn about acting. It gives a rundown not only of the basics, but of the entire theatrical process. The book is set up as a step-by-step introduction to putting on a play from conception to performance. It includes information on writing a script, stage make-up, scenery, costumes, and publicity. "Send invitations to your friends in plenty of time and make some posters to promote the play," the book offers. "Don't forget to include the date, time, place, and name of the play," it warns. It...

Hiking by Valerie Bodden is an informative text on hiking that is perfect for young readers. With stunning full color pictures, large font, and a glossary this book is a perfect introduction to hiking. This book is a great length for a read aloud and the language and structure are simple enough that many 2nd and 3rd grade readers could peruse it independently or in small groups. Every page contains a paragraph addressing a specific topic (boots, trails, safety) and a large photograph to illustrate it. The photographs all show hikers in action and have captions which gives additional information either on the page's topic or elaborating on the picture. In the back of the book there is also a brief glossary which explains a few of the terms; however, it is not very good. It chooses to highlight words like "grooves" and "mountain", but some of the more specific hiking vocabulary mentioned in the book such as "compass", "topographic map", an...

Henry York has just moved to Henry, Kansas where he and his cousin Henrietta have discovered something very curious in his attic bedroom. A strange thump in the night has dislodged the plaster on the wall above his bed, exposing a curious set of compass dials. The more they chip away at the plaster, the more they discover: specifically, 99 cupboards, the key to their late-grandfather’s room that has been impossible to open for two years, gateways to other worlds, and that Henry York is not at all who he thinks he is. In N.D. Wilson’s 100 Cupboards, he lays the foundation for a new world-hopping fantasy series that has amazing potential, but also some serious flaws. I drank in fantasy books when I was younger. I'd go to the library and scan the shelves for cool covers with dragons or flip through their pages in search of the word "faery". I could explain to you in detail why it was ludicrous that J.K. Rowling suggested a "witch" was the female equi...

"Pascal had always thought freedom would be like Joshua and the walls of Jericho in the Bible... God would raise up Joshua to blow a horn; and colored people would all shout. And those walls would come tumbling down forever. That would be freedom!" But apparently, Pascal has been free... for two years. Two years ago President Lincoln freed the slaves, but the Masters are still buying and selling them. Pascal's Mama was just murdered for asking for more food for the starving slaves. And now the War Between the States is over. And he is free? But what is freedom? Throughout Harriette Gillem Robinet's Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule Pascal struggles to answer that very question. Does owning land make you free? Does going to school make you free? Does having gold make you free? Or is it something deeper? Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the text follows Pascal, his brother Gideon, and their family of friends through the...

Owen Birnbaum is 57 percent fatter than the national average for boys his age. Owen Birnbaum is one point short of being a genius. Owen Birnbaum has a sister named Jeremy. Owen Birnbaum is a bully magnet. In SLOB, Ellen Potter tells Owen's story through his brilliant, cynical point of view. Hilarious, yet somewhat sad, twelve-year-old Owen begins his story on a day only slightly less bearable than every other day. When he goes to his recycled-sock lunch box and pulls out his eco -friendly Oreo cookie container, however, his day gets a whole lot worse. The Oreos are gone! Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, its just three dumb cookies. But for Owen its devastating. In a world of bullies, gym teachers, and psychopath new-kids with a burned face and a switchblade in their sock, sometimes eating three dumb cookies is all a kid can do to keep it together. He has to find out who took them. As we follow Owen on this quest to find the thief, however, we find out...