A Bee in Your Ear

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Kate has never won anything, so when the teacher announces a spelling
contest for the Grade 2 spelling club, Kate is determined to win. She is
ambitious and works hard, but she becomes frustrated by how difficult it
is to learn all of the words, especially the homonyms. Sadly, she takes
her frustration out on her best friend, Jake. Kate is truly sorry for
what she has done, and she continues to study on her own. Eventually
Jake and Kate work together to prepare for the big event, and together
they share the grand prize.

This chapter book works extremely well as an educational beginning
reader. The subject matter is not very exciting, but the author adds a
little tension and humour to keep it interesting. It is very clearly
written and uses lots of repetition of words and phrases, simple
language, and short sentences. The author includes words that are on the
“study list” in her storyline to reinforce their meaning and
spelling. For example, Kate can’t remember the difference between
“stare” and “stair”; in the following scene she runs up the
stairs and stares at a picture over her bed. The plot also demonstrates
by example several good study techniques (such as writing out the words,
singing them, acting them out, and making up acronyms for them) as well
as the good habits of frequent review, and eating and sleeping well.
This work of fiction is an ideal tool for primary students learning to
spell. Recommended.