Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Bee describes her return from Antarctica to Galer Street School and Mr. Levy’s class. She notes that her mother will be returning from Antarctica in two weeks, and that Mr. Levy has encouraged her to work on her book for her spring research project. The rest of Part 7 consists of the letter Bernadette wrote to Bee from Antarctica. Bernadette begins the letter by noting that she is sitting in a shipping container waiting to have her wisdom teeth removed (how the notepad she is using later got back to the ship is not addressed). Bernadette explains how, the morning after Audrey Griffin rescued her from the intervention, she went to the airport, hoping to meet Bee and Elgin when they arrived for the first leg of their trip to Antarctica. She boarded the plane, hoping they had checked in ahead of her, then decided to continue with the trip to Antarctica, inspired by the jacket copy on a book tucked away in her vest: “People don’t go to Antarctica. They are called to Antarctica” (338).

Once aboard the ship, Bernadette finds herself mesmerized by the beauty of the ice. Eager to avoid any unnecessary human contact, she spends as much time as possible off the ship, kayaking alone.