Bean Trees,The

Review done by:

Erika Shelton

Grade 7

Van Antwerp Middle School

Niskayuna, NY

I read the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsglover. This book was very good. It was about a girl named Taylor who lives in Kentucky, one day hoping to move out of her trailer and find a new home. The day she turns nineteen, she buys an old beat up Volkswagen, and tells herself that whatever town her car breaks down is where she will start her life over again.

She stops at a bar in the Navaho Indiansí land for lunch, and when she goes back to her car, she finds a baby girl in the passenger seat. Taylor decides to keep the baby and name her Turtle. Later on. Taylor finds out that Turtle has been brutally beaten by her former guardians. Taylor drives with Turtle, until her car dies in Arizona. She finds a roommate to live with in Arizona, and through the book, tries to decide whether to adopt Turtle, or find her real relatives and give her back.

This book was excellent because of the easy way to follow the story. Many hardships come along, and every time, the characters find a way to live through it. The description of the way the characters are feeling is very well written. There are seven main characters in this book. Some other good things about the book are the personalities of all of the characters. Each different character reacts to a problem in their own, unique way. This book was also very humorous. Most of the characters were very funny. The end of this book will leave you wanting to never have the story end or wanting to read a sequel. This book is one of the best Iíve ever read, and I highly recommend it to anyone.