We continued reading aloud chapter one of the novel . We discussed Lily's secret - she accidentally killed her mother - and I placed the word" secret" on the board and then aligned it with the title of the book. I explained that the " secret life of bees" of the title is similar in ways to the life of people, especially in that we all have a "secret " life that we long to share with someone. After we compete a section, Lena's mother and I also restate certain elements of the plot for Lena . I continue to emphasize the main character's ongoing sense of longing to find some connection to her deceased mother .