From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Weaving strands of fairy tales, voudon, slave stories, and African myth, Siegelson crafts a mesmerizing tale heavy with the scent of honey and flowers and rooted in Louisiana soil. Beatrice is a slave born with the green eyes of her mother and raised by her grandmother's twin, Tante Abeille, who knows secrets about the girl's past and future. At 13, Beatrice rebels against her aunt's wishes (and her own troubling dreams) and enters the master's house, where Monsieur Reynard's books entrance her. Her broken silver locket with a bee clasp signifies both the blood ties between Beatrice and Reynard and the lore of the bees, whose honey-laced magic averts disaster in an explosive climax. An unusual, lush new voice in the tradition of magic realism, Siegelson blends ancestral voices; elements of fairy lore, including Briar Rose and Cinderella; and intoxicating language: "Beatrice knew true sweetness. On her tongue, it tasted like freedom." GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
On a Louisiana plantation during the heart of slavery, young Beatrice grows up in the care of her protective aunt Abeille. As Bea nears her thirteenth birthday, strange things begin to happen around her. Her master, Monsieur Reynard, seems to have taken a special interest in her, and she has no idea why. Soon secrets held for generations are revealed and Bea feels betrayed. Who is her ally? Her master or her family? And who can help her understand her power, the power that will win her freedom?
