Mr. Levy

Mr. Levy is a Galer Street teacher whose practical support helps Bee return to school after a long absence and gives her a way to continue the account of her family. When she cannot bring herself to open an envelope addressed to her from her mother, he makes room for her to speak; later, he transforms the book she wrote at Choate into a research project and helps her make up missed classes.

At Galer Street

On Bee’s first day back at Galer Street, she finds a stamped envelope in her cubby, addressed to her and bearing her mother’s handwriting. Its return address is a contracting company in Denver. Kennedy notices Bee’s reaction, but Bee does not want to open the envelope in front of her and does not want to face it alone. She runs to homeroom, where Mr. Levy is with teachers preparing to go to Starbucks during their break.

Mr. Levy sees Bee and sends the others ahead. He closes the door with her while she tries to explain everything at once: the intervention, Audrey Griffin’s help, Choate, her roommate, Antarctica, Soo-Lin’s baby, finding her mother, and now the envelope. The story comes out in a jumble. Rather than force her to finish explaining, Bee gives him the book she wrote at Choate and then goes to music.

The Research Project

At lunch recess, Mr. Levy finds Bee and tells her that he liked her book, though he thinks it needs more work. He proposes that she complete it as her spring research project, enlarging the book through documents supplied by people who can contribute to it. He suggests Audrey Griffin, Paul Jellinek, Gwen Goodyear, and others, as well as Bee’s mother, who is due back from Antarctica in two weeks.

The proposal makes Bee’s personal account into a school project without separating it from the people and records that shape it. Mr. Levy’s suggestion also provides the frame for the narrative Bee is assembling: after recounting his offer, she identifies the project as what she is writing.

Support for Bee’s Return

Mr. Levy offers concrete help alongside the assignment: he will give Bee credit for the classes she missed, allowing her to graduate with the rest of her class. His actions address both sides of her return to school. He gives her space when the envelope overwhelms her, then helps her turn the interrupted months into work she can complete and a route back to her classmates.