  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 07/01/2017 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 - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/01/2017 Who knew middle school could be such a maze? The free-spirited daughter of locally famous artists, Taiwanese American Beatrix Lee has always found solace in her poetry and her best friend, S. But as she enters seventh grade, she finds that S is avoiding her, choosing her “normal” friends over quirky, energetic Bea. With only her poetry to comfort her, Bea begins to leave haikus written in invisible ink in a secret spot in the woods behind her house, only to discover that an invisible friend begins writing back. Readers will quickly become engrossed in guessing the identity of Bea’s pen pal. The compassionate school librarian? Briggs, the eccentric editor of the school newspaper, who memorizes Bea’s poetry? Or Will, a new friend (whom, through a note in her acknowledgments, Yeh characterizes as on the autism spectrum) whose single-mindedness leads both him and Bea to break into a famous local labyrinth? In her second middle-grade novel, Yeh shines in depicting the loneliness, awkwardness, and angst that reign over the preteen years. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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