I was recently sent a free copy of the book "Bertie's War" by Barbara Tifft Blakey as part of the Old Schoolhouse Magazine Review Crew. The story is set in the fall of 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis as a young 12-year-old girl tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs.
Here is the snapshot from the back of the book:
Everything has been going wrong for Bertie lately. No matter how hard she tries to do and say the right thing, Bertie keeps tumbling into embarrassing – and sometimes dangerous – situations. Her stern father has too many rules, her know-it-all sister won't stop teasing her, and her mischievous younger brother keeps getting into trouble. But what makes her really afraid are those Communist missiles pointed right at the United States. As Bertie starts seventh grade in the fall of 1962, news of these missiles throws the nation into a panic and Bertie suddenly feels completely out of control. Can Bertie confront an ugly truth about herself and face her fears – once and for all?
When I read the back of the book before delving into the novel itself, I was a little perturbed at the thought of reading a book about a family that nags and nitpicks at each other all the time. Thankfully, the family wasn't nearly as "at odds" with each other as I had imagined. But, I can see where the description comes from now, having read the book all the way through. Bertie is a pretty emotional and very fearful little girl who seems to recoil inwardly after almost every human interaction she has. She is definitely feeling the growing pains of trying to mature in this crazy world and trying to figure out what everything means.
Pros:
Set during a crucial time in our history, I think this book would be a great compliment to a study of that same period in history.
If you have a child who tends to be overly emotional, this book might help them to step outside themselves and see what others see.
Cons:
I was halfway through the book and still waiting for the storyline to really grab me and make me interested in reading it to the end.
Because she was so submerged in fear and herself, I was beginning to get annoyed with Bertie from the get go.
Overall:
As much as I hate to say it, I guess I didn't really enjoy the book all that much. (Keeping in mind that I've never written a novel! The author is way ahead of me in the creative writing department!) Maybe if some of content could be developed a bit more, it was be a more engaging story. Barbara Blakey has already written a language arts curriculum focused on critical thinking and communication skills – its called Total Language Plus.
You can find "Bertie's War" at Kregel Publications for $7.99.
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Hi, this is Barbara, the author of Bertie’s War. I wanted to take a minute to thank you for posting your review of my first attempt at fiction. Your comments will help me grow as a writer and I appreciate them.