Cleave, Chris.  Little Bee.  Old Saybrook, CT : Tantor Audio, 2009. ISBN: 9781400111718. Read by Anne Flosnik.

When Andrew and Sarah venture to Nigeria on a last minute vacation meant to repair their damaged marriage, they never foresee  an event on a pristine African beach that will change their lives forever.  From the  moment when they meet Little Bee and her sister, the way they feel about life, love, and themselves, are forever changed.

Five years later Little Bee arrives at the O’Rourke’s doorstep.  She’s seeking refuge from the couple that she briefly once knew.  Yet, Little Bee’s timing could not be worse, for she arrives the day of Andrew’s funeral.  Little Bee’s arrival sparks Sarah’s, as well as her own, memories about what happened on that day back in Nigeria.

Little Bee is a tale of how a refugee seeks solace from one of the last people who has shown her any kindness in a world that she only knows as unstable and violent.  It is a tale the shows both how truly cruel and vicious the world can be, as well as how one act of selflessness can change a life.

Chris Cleave weaves a story about how vulnerable Sarah truly is, despite the fact that she has always been confident and successful.  Little Bee is a girl who has witnessed horrific atrocities, and yet, she maintains a girlish voice of innocence throughout the book, even though she possess a mature and scarred outlook on life.  Flosnik narrates Little Bee flawlessly, giving all the characters their own identity with the sound of her voice.

Little Bee has received the following awards and reviews:

ALA Notable Book

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Reviewed in Library Journal, Kirkus, People, and Booklist.

Little Bee is a good match to those who enjoyed:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese