LitPick Review
Beatrice expects that she’ll get the lead role in the annual school play, Pocahontas. Then Michiko arrives at school. She recently moved from Japan. She ruins everything, and there’s nothing Beatrice can do about it. Beatrice's sarcastic, mean and bad side, "Bumbling Bea," is making her appearance more often. Beatrice doesn't know how to prevent Bumbling Bea from taking over. Michiko makes things worse by telling the entire world about Beatrice's secret crush. In her own way, Michiko is acting JUST like Bumbling Bea. This gives Beatrice a taste of her own medicine. To add to her troubles, Beatrice's parents are taking a “break” from each other. This is a book about middle school drama and getting through it. Most kids aren’t alone in navigating this drama; they have their friends to help them. Will Beatrice's best friends, Peter and Jenna, stick by her or will they abandon her?
Opinion:
I liked the plot of this story. I believe it made a good point: nobody is perfect. I could relate to the characters and what they were going through. I was confused by some parts of the book, and it had a few clerical errors. Overall, I enjoyed this book. My favorite part was when Beatrice and Michiko had their conversations in the bathroom. My least favorite part was when Peter got poison ivy. I personally don’t like poison ivy, and the description made me feel itchy. Even though I didn't like that part, I felt the author did a great job describing it realistically. I would recommend this to 8-12 year olds, anyone dealing with problems with their friends, and to readers who loved Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco.
