Reading Level: Ages 9 and up

The story of Belle Teal is set in the early sixties in rural south-central United States. Belle Teal Harper tells about events in the fifth grade from late summer till Christmas with ten-year-old insight and enthusiasm for life.

Belle Teal is loyal to her friends, Clarice, Darryl, and Little Boss, as they deal with the unkindness of integration, and understanding with her grandmother as she slips into a senile dementia.

The author is true to the time when life was simpler and slowly paced. She shows that one person can make a difference in her own life and in the lives of others.

— Carole Earle, Member SCBWI