58 pages • 1 hour read
Jacqueline DaviesThe Bell Bandit
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “A Thousand Pieces”
The next morning, Jessie and Grandma begin working on the new jigsaw puzzle together. Jessie notices that Grandma seems more herself this morning after sleeping 12 hours the night before. As Jessie and Grandma begin working on the puzzle, they realize how challenging it is and spend considerable time trying to spread the pieces on the table. Jessie realizes that all the pieces look the same and that she has never done such a challenging puzzle. Grandma suggests that they begin building the outer edges of the puzzle first.
Jessie asks Grandma to tell her the New Year’s Eve bell story as they work. She is careful not to mention that it is missing after Mrs. Treski told her and Evan not to say anything to Grandma that might upset her. Grandma tells Jessie that her great-grandfather put the bell on Lovell’s Hill to call the neighbors in case of emergencies. Jessie asks how her great-grandfather hung the bell because it must weigh “a thousand pounds” (56). Grandma tells her that it only weighs about 100 pounds and that she got it down by herself once for cleaning. Trying to broach the subject gently, Jessie asks if Grandma has taken the bell down recently, to clean it again or sell it. Growing increasingly frustrated, Grandma snaps at Jessie when she suggests that perhaps Grandma forgot she took the bell down and tells Jessie that the bell is still up on the hill. Jessie is quiet but wonders if Grandma’s forgetfulness is the key to solving the mystery of the missing bell.
Maxwell arrives at the house, and Grandma invites him in, suggesting he take over working on the puzzle with Jessie while she takes a nap. Grandma tells Jessie to “prepare to be amazed” (60), and Jessie watches, astonished, as Maxwell easily fits the puzzle pieces together. Jessie asks Maxwell how he does the puzzle so easily, and he says simply, “I’m smart” (61). Jessie tells Maxwell that her grandma calls her “Jessie Bean,” and Maxwell tells her that he dislikes nicknames because they are mean. Jessie agrees, saying she thinks everyone should be called by their real name. Jessie grows annoyed watching Maxwell work on the puzzle because she cannot find any fitting pieces and suggests they do something else.
Maxwell tells her that he wants to watch Get Smart, a television show from the 1960s about a secret agent named Maxwell Smart. Maxwell’s refrain of “I’m smart!” suddenly makes sense to Jessie, who laughs as they watch the show together. Jessie suggests that they pretend to be secret agents together to figure out who stole the bell, and Maxwell agrees without hesitation. His eagerness surprises Jessie, who assumes that Maxwell would not want to hang out with someone two grades younger than he is. Maxwell tells her that it will be like a puzzle and that he is good at puzzles because he is smart.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Afternoon Shadows”
Mrs. Treski interrupts Evan’s work with Pete to ask Evan to take Grandma for a walk. Enjoying his work, Evan asks if Jessie can take her instead. Pete shakes his head, silently telling Evan that he needs to listen to his mother and do as she says. Evan goes inside and asks his mother why Grandma cannot take a walk by herself because she normally does five miles by herself nearly every day. Evan gets ready alongside Grandma, and as he leaves, Mrs. Treski asks him to keep the walk short because she does not want Grandma to get too tired. Evan, unused to taking care of his grandma, who always took such good care of him, feels unsure about this walk. Mrs. Treski also tells Evan not to take his grandma anywhere near Lovell’s Hill.
As they walk, Evan tells Grandma about the repair work he and Pete are doing. Grandma is quiet as they walk, and after 15 minutes, Evan asks if she would like to turn around. Grandma shakes her head, and as they continue walking, now uphill, Evan realizes with dread that they are nearing the top of Lovell’s Hill from a side he does not normally take. Grandma walks straight for the crossbeam where the bell should be hanging. As Evan reaches her, he sees that her face has an unfamiliar expression, which frightens him. Grandma, no longer recognizing Evan, accuses him of stealing the bell. Evan wonders if he should leave her to run and get help but tries instead to remind her of who he is, saying that he will take her home now.
Trying to get away from Evan, Grandma falls over backward and grows increasingly frightened. She refuses Evan’s help, yelling at him to stay away from her. Evan pauses and puts himself in his grandma’s position, realizing how afraid she must be. He tells her that Mrs. Treski sent him to help her and that she is waiting at home to speak with Grandma. This information appears to settle Grandma, who seems to forget about the bell and asks Evan for help standing up. As they walk, Grandma asks Evan’s name, and he tells her “Grumpminster Fink,” a made-up character he and Jessie had concocted when they were younger. Grandma tells him that is a strange name, but they make their way down the hill and back home.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Chickens”
Jessie is taking notes on the bell bandit and watching Get Smart with Maxwell when Evan enters the living room, tracking in snow and looking scared. Evan calls out for Mrs. Treski, and they go into the kitchen together. Jessie follows them and sees Grandma in the kitchen, struggling to get her coat off and talking about needing to feed the chickens. Jessie is confused because Grandma has not kept chickens for years. Jessie’s confusion grows when Evan tells Grandma, “I’ll feed the chickens, Mrs. Joyce” (81), and Grandma snaps at him, saying that he does not know how. Evan tells her that he used to feed the chickens for her all the time, detailing the routine, and Grandma softens, agreeing to let him.
Mrs. Treski leads Grandma out of the kitchen. Jessie asks Evan why he pretended, and Evan says that he thought it would be the easiest thing to do in that moment. He also tells Jessie that Grandma is not pretending, but Jessie says it does not make sense to forget someone in your own family. Evan, angry, responds, “Yeah, well, tell Grandma that. You can talk to her. She remembers you” (83). Jessie says that she is going to go upstairs to talk to their mother, but Evan stops her, telling her that she is taking care of Grandma. Maxwell laughs at something on screen, and Evan asks why Maxwell must be here. Before Evan storms out of the room, he tells Jessie that the bell is still gone.
Jessie returns to the couch and sits next to Maxwell, wondering if something about the missing bell is causing Grandma to forget. She wonders if they find the bell and return it to its rightful place if Grandma might get better. Jessie tells Maxwell they need to find the bell soon because tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Out of Whack”
The next day, Pete shows Evan how to use a plumb bob to determine a true vertical, and Evan goes around the house, marveling at how sloped everything in Grandma’s house is. Unable to find any true verticals in the house, he says, “This house is crazy!” (88) and is surprised when Grandma responds, “You can say that again!” (88). Evan goes into the kitchen and sees Grandma readying herself for a walk outside.
Evan tells his grandmother that she is supposed to be napping, and he sees that his mother’s phone is charging in the kitchen even though she is in town. Grandma tells Evan that she can decide when she wants to take a walk, and Evan pleads with her not to go, especially as night is starting to fall. When she continues undeterred, Evan decides to go with her. Grandma waits on the porch while he gathers his gloves and boots. Evan takes a few minutes to locate a missing boot, and by the time he returns, Grandma is gone.
Chapters 5-8 Analysis
These chapters show Evan learning Empathy and Understanding as Key to Navigating Life’s Challenges, such as the effect of Grandma’s memory loss on her and the family. After Grandma initially does not recognize him, Evan holds onto resentment toward her when his mother asks him to join her on a walk: “The memory of his grandmother had said to him two days ago in the kitchen flickered in his brain, but then he remembered his mother’s explanation. She’s not herself, Evan” (69). Evan’s emotional hurt abuts the rational explanation his mother gives him, and Evan chooses the path of empathy despite his hurt. The scene on the top of Lovell’s Hill further stretches Evan’s empathy for and understanding of his grandma, and he must make a decision that will have implications for both his and Grandma’s well-being when she again forgets his identity:
‘Stay away! [...] You won’t get away with this!’ [...] He didn’t know what to say. The truth made no sense so long as Grandma didn’t know who he was. He tried to think. He tried to imagine what it must feel like to be his grandmother right now (75).
Without the anchoring object of the bell in front of her, Grandma grows confused and accuses Evan of stealing it. Evan’s initial attempts to convince Grandma of his identity only further confuse her, so he makes a split-second decision to meet Grandma where she is in her confusion. This decision makes all the difference as it deescalates the situation enough that Evan can safely get him and Grandma home. This decision comes at the cost of additional emotional labor for Evan because he must pretend to be someone else so that Grandma can trust him and follow him back down the hill. In this moment, Evan exhibits deep empathy, puts aside his emotions, and views the situation from Grandma’s perspective to pursue the best and safest course of action.
Despite Evan’s deft handling of Grandma’s memory loss episode on Lovell’s Hill, her inability to remember him takes an emotional toll on him that’s evident when they return home after the walk. This emotional toll is part of The Impact of Aging and Memory Loss on Families. Jessie, still struggling to understand the nuances of Grandma’s condition, naively states, “You don’t just forget someone in your family. That’s not possible” (83). Evan snaps at her, angrily responding, “Yeah, well, tell Grandma that. You can talk to her. She remembers you” (83). This exchange between the siblings illustrates a unique impact that Grandma’s memory loss has on families: the pain of rejection a loved one feels when the elderly person remembers certain family members but not others.
Evan feels rejected because of Grandma’s inability to remember him, and Jessie lacks empathy for Evan’s position because she does not understand how Grandma’s memory loss works. Evan lashes out at Jessie, taking out the pain of Grandma’s inability to remember him on his sister. The scene demonstrates that families need empathy and understanding for one another’s coping and processing as much as they need to have understanding for the person suffering from memory loss. Right now, Jessie and Evan lose sight of this fact as they struggle to understand each other’s position and, as such, are at odds.
As Evan navigates the challenges with Grandma, these chapters also develop Jessie’s journey to recover the missing bell with Maxwell’s help. Maxwell challenges Jessie’s sense of understanding and empathy because while Jessie likes Maxwell and wants his help in recovering the bell, she also finds his behavior odd and, at times, frustrating: “Maxwell’s movements were so annoying, she couldn’t keep her mind on what she was doing” (61). Jessie does not yet have full context regarding Maxwell’s neurodivergence, yet she still finds moments of connection with him.
When the two discuss their mutual dislike for nicknames, Maxwell states that nicknames are mean, and Jessie is pleasantly surprised: “She’d always thought the same thing but had never heard anyone say it before” (61). This scene establishes a connection between Jessie and Maxwell. Jessie feels that Maxwell sees and understands her in a way that others (such as Evan) do not. Jessie and Maxwell’s burgeoning connection in these chapters illustrates that one does not need to fully understand someone else to find points of connection and empathy.
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By Jacqueline Davies
