Wednesday

Bertie's War ~ Fiction Review


Bertie's War by Barbara Tifft Blakey

When I received Bertie's War in the mail I wasn't too thrilled.  I don't read much fiction.  Ok... I don't ever read fiction!

When I figured out that this book is about a girl in 7th grade in 1962, I was instantly drawn in.  That is about the age that my mom was in 1962.  I thought that it would be a neat thing to see what life was like back then. 

Bertie is a young girl leaving her tweens.  She struggles with the fact that she still likes to play make-believe and is in the 7th grade.  A lot of girls her age aren't too interested in dressing up or pretending; they're interested in growing up.  At times Bertie gets lost in her huge imagination but often considers what it would be like to be "normal". 

 A great imagination is a good thing until it gets mixed with fear. Set in the time of  the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, Bertie is afraid of the Communist missals that she keeps hearing about on the nightly news.  She even invents things in her mind to keep people safe! 

Bertie lives with her parents, older sister and younger brother. She desires so badly to please her father that she comes up with grand ideas just so she can make her father nod at her.  Her father's nod means the world to Bertie.  Her words just never come out right enough.  She always seems to do the wrong thing.
 
Does Bertie get the affection from her father that she so earnestly desires?  Does she grow out of playing make-believe?  Do the Communists send missals into her town or do her fears subside?  These are questions that can have a Spiritual slant to them and talked out together as the book is read.

Bertie's War ~ A great book for young teens or tweens.  This book has plenty of life learning in it to keep conversations going between parent and child.  Even though this is a book about a girl, I think plenty of boys would enjoy it also.

I really liked this story.  Even though I don't read very much fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!  I recommend this book for homeschoolers. 

Purchase from Kregel Publications for $7.99
192 pages
Tween Fiction

I reviewed Bertie's War for the TOS Crew.  I was not paid in any way to review this product.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi, this is Barbara Blakey, the author of Bertie's War. Thank you for posting about my book. It was my first attempt at fiction and I've eagerly awaited what readers think. Your comments are especially encouraging because you aren't predisposed to read fiction. Again, thank you!

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