
Me & Mr. Bell by Philip Roy
Sydney, NS: Cape Breton University Press, 2013
Recommended for ages 9-12.
This novel for young readers is about a boy named Eddie, living in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, in 1908. We discover
that Eddie has difficulty with reading and writing, and this
negatively affects his self-esteem and the way he is treated by his
family, friends, and teacher. This small rural community was also the location for the summer home of the inventor, Alexander Graham
Bell, so it is no surprise that Eddie soon encounters Mr. Bell, who then gives
him encouragement to overcome his learning disability.
It is an exciting and inspiring story filled with interesting
characters and historical details. Eddie is a very likeable character who tries his best, and is therefore confused and hurt by the
treatment he receives from some adults in his life. Mr. Bell is a
character that comes into Eddie's life at the right time, and helps
open his eyes to new possibilities, and puts success and failure into perspective for him.
As I read...
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Image: http://ns1763.ca/victco/flight1st-22453.jpg |
The first chapter also made me laugh when I read the interaction between Eddie and his elderly
neighbours, the McLearys. The couple seemed to be caricatures of elderly rural neighbours. They were not intentionally being funny in the way they spoke to Eddie and each other, but the dialogue was amusing. However, it
was obvious right from the beginning that Eddie's father was hesitant
to trust Eddie with the errand of delivering and receiving a message,
but we do not find out what the problem is until Chapter 2.
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Image: http://www.telcomhistory.org /vm/Images/AGB1918.jpg |
I responded to the book as I did because...
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Image: http://beatoninstitute.com/beinn-bhreagh-5 |
Because I enjoy reading historical fiction, it was
not difficult for me to be excited about the subject of this book.
While reading about Eddie and Mr. Bell in Baddeck, I
could imagine the setting, since it is described as farmland and open
fields. Eddie mentions the land, the forest, and the lake. Neighbours
were far enough apart that Eddie would be sent as a messenger. I have been
to Nova Scotia, but not to Cape Breton, so it was necessary to use my
imagination to recreate the setting.
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One Room Schoolhouse in Nova Scotia Image: http://www.oneroomschoolhouses.ca /uploads/5/1/0/1/5101115/___1308672235.jpg |
The
book followed my expectations of what a book should be. It had a
dramatic climax and a satisfying conclusion. It
had a likeable main character that made me want him to succeed. I
could relate to him, although not directly with the problem of
dyslexia, but we all have our own challenges to overcome, and it
gives us hope to see a character's tenacity and his will to succeed.
His relationship with his
father triggered personal emotions for me. I could relate to the
distant and remote father figure. Eddie wants his approval, and from
that perspective in particular, the story has a satisfying conclusion.
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Eddie as I imagined him Image: http://www.weirdpalace.com/ img/lifestyle/child-labor/child-labor01.jpg |
Although
the book takes place in less than a full calendar year (it begins in
Spring 1908, and ends before the Spring of 1909), we see Eddie
maturing. His father begins to treat him more as a grown-up in the
Fall when they clear the field of stones together, and brings Eddie
with him for the first time to join the men talking after the
Christmas Day service at church.
The
chapters are short and many end with a teaser that encourages
the reader to continue on to the next chapter. It
is obvious that Roy used a lot of his research into Alexander Graham
Bell, and he weaves accurate historical details through the
narrative. The character Eddie has
the same name as Bell's
younger brother, Edward
Charles Bell, who died at
the age of 21 from
tuberculosis. When Mr. Bell
learns Eddie's name, he looks sad and mentions that his younger
brother had the same name.
This book asks its readers...

About Philip Roy and the background of Me & Mr. Bell
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Image: http://philiproy.ca/interv-page/ |
In doing some of my own research on Alexander Graham Bell, it was interesting to know about the controversial way the deaf community views him. Bell published a paper in 1884, Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race, that suggested that marriage between congenitally deaf people should be avoided, believing, erroneously, that this would lead to a greater likelihood that they would have hearing-impaired and speech-impaired children (PBS, 2007). He was an “oralist,” which meant he emphasized speech over sign language, believing that in this way, the deaf community would be better integrated into society. In order to encourage deaf people to use their voices, and to stop them from communicating by using their hands, he believed that their hands should be tied behind their backs in order to stop them from using sign language (Sweenie & Bowles, 2008, p. 19). This reminded me of the incident in Roy's book with the School Inspector when he ties Eddie's left hand behind his back to prevent him from writing with his left hand.
Let's look at another review...
Gillian
Green's review from the University of Manitoba's CM Magazine, Vol. 20 (2), September 13, 2013, recommends this book, rating it at
3.5/4 stars. I agree with her in that the story is inspirational, and
also with her observation that “Eddie,
as the narrator, allows for the story to be as engaging as possible.”
It
is hard to imagine that the story would have been as powerful if we
had anyone other than Eddie recounting the details of his struggles
with reading and writing. Having a first-hand account allows us to
understand Eddie's thought processes. The nature of Green's review is
geared toward professionals in Collection Management, so she
recommends this
book as an
addition to a classroom or library because of the themes,
specifically, the opportunity to introduce the history of the period
and Alexander Graham Bell, and the emphasis on overcoming challenges
with determination and resourcefulness. I
agree with her recommendation, and I can imagine all sorts of
interesting activities that could go along with reading this book in
a classroom setting. The children could be introduced to the process
of inventing which, as Bell says in the book, begins with using your
imagination. They could learn about the history of flight, or Canada's role in inventions of the 20th
century. The children would have the opportunity to learn about Helen
Keller and Bell's work with the deaf community. This book contains
many interesting ideas that could branch out into lesson plans.
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Image: http://visitbaddeck.com/history-of-baddeck/ |
Awards for this book include...
OLA’s Silver Birch Award reading list 2014-2015
Shortlisted for Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People (TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards)
Shortlisted for the 2014 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award
Nominated for the 2014-2015 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award
Selected for Best Books for Kids & Teens, Spring 2014
References
Gray, C. (2006). Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion of Invention. Toronto: HarperCollins.
Green, G. (2013). Me & Mr. Bell: Review.
CM: Canadian Review of Materials, Vol.
20(2). Retrieved from http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol20/no2/me&mrbell.html
History of Baddeck. (2015). Retrieved from http://visitbaddeck.com
PBS.
(2007). “Signing,
Alexander Graham Bell and the NAD.” Retrieved
from
http://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/deaflife/bell_nad.html
Pinaud, M. (1997). History of Baddeck. Retrieved from http://baddeck.com/history
Roy, P. (2013). Me & Mr. Bell. Sydney, Nova Scotia: Cape Breton University Press.
Roy, P. (n.d.). Author Website: Bio. Retrieved from http://philiproy.ca
Sweenie,
J.M. & Boles, D.W. (2008). Picture
Yourself Learning American Sign Language, Level 1. Boston:
Cengage Learning.