The seventh graders at Geyser Creek Middle School arebeeyond stressed. They'renbsp;preparing for a spelling beenbsp;anda horrible standardized test callednbsp;the BEE (Basic Education Evaluation). Plus, this year the hunt for their honeys has become all-important. It's a good thing they have Honey, a bee that spells (yes,really!), as their class pet--and onenbsp;fabulous teacher named Florence Waters.nbsp;Sweet!nbsp; nbsp; The fifth book in the Regarding the . . . series takes the sting out of spelling bees, standardized tests, and even dating. Using letters, newspapers, and whatever else strikes their fancy,nbsp; the Klise sisters have again created a book that spells J-U-S-T P-L-A-I-N F-U-N. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 4-6-This addition to the series follows the Geyser Creek Middle School kids to seventh grade where they have to take the dreaded BEEs-Basic Education Evaluation. If the students do not pass, they must repeat all of middle school. And to make matters worse, their teacher, Sam N., is filling in for Mr. Russ as principal. But not to worry-he has enlisted the help of Florence Waters, fountain designer, as substitute teacher. She teaches the class via correspondence, sending assignments to the children while she's off gathering more information about bees to share with them. The story follows the series format of using letters, notes, faxes, and other correspondence to relate the goings-on. As the events progress, the students share their concerns about boyfriends/girlfriends and the upcoming dance. They also learn to have some compassion for a class whose teacher is using some underhanded methods to insure her students win the coveted Show Me Spelling Bee. Fans of the series will appreciate this installment, reluctant readers will be drawn to the format, and more advanced readers will appreciate the wordplay and puns sprinkled throughout.-Diana Pierce, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park, TX Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In the latest in the uproarious series that began with Regarding the Fountain (1998), the kids, now in seventh grade, face the dreaded Basic Education Evaluation (BEE) standardized test while their beloved substitute teacher is out of town. Even for this wild series, it's hard to accept that the class is being taught by correspondence, but the letters back and forth are fast and funny, and as usual, the pages include lots of lively cartoons and hand-written notes. Best of all is the farce about the test as the buzz increases and the teacher refuses to teach to the BEE.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.