With a charming voice, winning characters, and a perfectly-woven plot, Kat Yeh delivers a powerful story of friendship and finding a path towards embracing yourself.
Everything in Bea's world has changed. She's starting seventh grade newly friendless and facing big changes at home, where she is about to go from only child to big sister. Feeling alone and adrift, and like her words don't deserve to be seen, Bea takes solace in writing haiku in invisible ink and hiding them in a secret spot.
But then something incredible happens--someone writes back. And Bea begins to connect with new friends, including a classmate obsessed with a nearby labyrinth and determined to get inside. As she decides where her next path will lead, she just might discover that her words--and herself--have found a new way to belong.
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“Dianne Down’s earnest, enthusiastic narration as Bea illuminates the tumult and excitement that accompany middle school…With urgency and determination, Down recounts details of mysterious letters, daring quests, new friendships, and the search for a group in which one can be one’s authentic self. Her characterizations are spirited and and complex, highlighting the rapid growth and changes that accompany adolescence.”
— AudioFile
“In a welcome divergence from the traditional coming-of-age novel, The Way to Bea is not the story of a young girl discovering who she is but rather a girl who knows from harsh experience that being yourself can be the fastest way to trouble.”
— New York Times Book Review“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.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)“Gets to the heart of middle school awkwardness like a sympathetic haiku.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Yeh exquisitely captures the feelings of a preteen…Bea’s journey of self-discovery reminds readers it is important to be present for the journey of finding one’s own voice and place.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books“Moving and wise.”
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Kat Yeh is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novels The Truth about Twinkie Pie and The Way to Bea. She grew up reading, writing, and dreaming in Westtown, Pennsylvania., and now lives with her family on Long Island.
Dianne Down is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.