BKMT READING GUIDES
Beau and Bett
by Kathryn Berla
Paperback : 256 pages
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"Genuinely moving... An entertaining YA romance with multilayered charaters -a winner." -Kirkus Reviews
When Beau LeFrancois's mother hits Bett's luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working on the Diaz Ranch. He's prepared ...
Introduction
"Genuinely moving... An entertaining YA romance with multilayered charaters -a winner." -Kirkus Reviews
When Beau LeFrancois's mother hits Bett's luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working on the Diaz Ranch. He's prepared to work, but he's not prepared for Bett's harshness to melt away as he learns what's behind her tough facade. Beau finds himself falling for her . . . until the day he catches her in a lie.
Excerpt
Chapter One(Once Upon A Time)
For one very long second, I wanted to believe this was someone else’s life—anyone who wasn’t named Beau LeFrancois. Anyone who wasn’t me.
Pause . . . Rewind . . . Play . . .
It’d been a long day at school, which was basically every day and any day. When I walked through the front door, my house was still the tiny, cramped, gloomy box it always was—no magical genie had transformed it into a palace while I was in class. Papa was sprawled out on the sofa like he always was, with one leg, plaster-casted from ankle to hip, resting on the sofa and the other leg slung over the side, foot planted firmly on the ground. Pillows propped behind his back and underneath his broken arm positioned him in a half-sitting, twisted pose that looked uncomfortable, but at least allowed him to watch TV. ...

Discussion Questions
1) How closely do you think this novel follows the original Beauty & the Beast story arc? In what ways is it similar and in what ways is it different?(2) Fairy tales were once used as a type of educational tool--a way to educate children about life. Some have said that the original French fairy tale (Beauty & the Beast) was a way to prepare young girls for arranged marriages. How do you think that might have been accomplished through the fairy tale and in what ways do you think Beau & Bett counteracts that harmful message?
(3) What do you think about Bett? Is she generally likable or unlikable and do you think her mannerisms are in any way a defense mechanism?
(4) Does Beau seem particularly naive for his age and, if so, what might you attribute it to?
(5) How might you imagine Beau's and Bett's futures playing out? Do you see them staying together or eventually maturing and growing apart?
(6) Do you think it's possible for one girl (or boy) to change the social consciousness of an entire student body? Have you seen it happen in your school under a different circumstance?
(7) Although this is a contemporary retelling of Beauty & the Beast, in what ways does it retain a fairy tale quality?
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