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Reviews
Regarding the Bees: A Lesson, in Letters, on Honey, Dating, and Other Sticky Subjects by Kate Klise
frustratedangel's review
4.0
Sadly, this concludes my journey with the "Regarding the..." series. I was putting reading this as I wanted the magic to last longer but since I was in dire need for a quick easy read, I just had to! Discovering this through the sale bins was indeed a nice surprise. I love the letter correspondence, the personalized typography defining each character and illustrations. Though the story plot may at times be a bit far fetched, it's forgivable because of the lovely bizarre characters and it comes out absurdly hilarious. Another plus is the factual and informative lesson inserts tied into the plot. Overall, still highly satisfied with this read. Truly one of my guilty comfort reads!
mrskatiefitz's review
3.0
Wally Russ is away from school for the semester, and Sam N. has been asked to fill in as acting principal, leaving a vacancy in the sixth grade classroom. Everyone is excited by the idea of inviting Florence Waters to take Sam’s place, but Florence will only agree to teach the students in a correspondence class. Though the kids are thrilled to work with their friend, they are also nervous about the upcoming BEE, or Basic Education Evaluation, exams, as well as the spelling bee in which another local middle school has invited them to participate. While the students fret about the BEEs and work on caring for actual beehives, they also try to sort out their crushes on various classmates, while Sam N. tries to save his failing marriage to the school secretary with whom he now shares an office.
Regarding the Bees is the final book in the Regarding series, and for the most part, I think it sends the series out on a high note. Gone, finally, are the water-themed jokes that seemed so forced and tired in Regarding the Bathrooms, and instead, the reader is treated to storylines involving “honeys”, ear wax, spelling bees, hive hairdos, and of course, a commentary on standardized testing. As opposed to the criminal activity the kids uncovered in the last book, this time around it is a spelling bee cheating scandal that they must solve, and an attention-hungry teacher, not a felon, whom they must take down. Though this story doesn’t necessarily wrap everything up in a series finale sort of way, it does bring closure to each of the main relationships the reader has followed throughout all five books, and the reader leaves Geyser Creek Middle School feeling pretty satisfied with what the future will likely hold.
Reading the books in this series one right after the other as I have has caused me to grow a bit weary of the puns and the format of the books, but this story comes out as one of the strongest of the five. Overall, I do recommend this series, especially to readers who like a more visual reading experience, and to those who are happy to laugh along with more than a few groan-worthy puns. For a taste of something new and different by Kate and M. Sarah Klise, check out their most recent series, Three-Ring Rascals.
Regarding the Bees is the final book in the Regarding series, and for the most part, I think it sends the series out on a high note. Gone, finally, are the water-themed jokes that seemed so forced and tired in Regarding the Bathrooms, and instead, the reader is treated to storylines involving “honeys”, ear wax, spelling bees, hive hairdos, and of course, a commentary on standardized testing. As opposed to the criminal activity the kids uncovered in the last book, this time around it is a spelling bee cheating scandal that they must solve, and an attention-hungry teacher, not a felon, whom they must take down. Though this story doesn’t necessarily wrap everything up in a series finale sort of way, it does bring closure to each of the main relationships the reader has followed throughout all five books, and the reader leaves Geyser Creek Middle School feeling pretty satisfied with what the future will likely hold.
Reading the books in this series one right after the other as I have has caused me to grow a bit weary of the puns and the format of the books, but this story comes out as one of the strongest of the five. Overall, I do recommend this series, especially to readers who like a more visual reading experience, and to those who are happy to laugh along with more than a few groan-worthy puns. For a taste of something new and different by Kate and M. Sarah Klise, check out their most recent series, Three-Ring Rascals.
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