Bertie’s War ~ Kregel Publications {Review}

From the Publisher

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 U.S. 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?

About the Publisher & Author

Kregel Publications is a Christian company that is dedicated to providing books, videos and other resources for the spiritual growth of readers worldwide. Currently, they have over 900 titles available in print, for children up to adult age.

Barbara Blakely is a familiar name in homeschool circles and a nationally recognized speaker. She is the also the author of Total Language Plus, a literature-based language arts program.

My Thoughts

Bertie’s War was above our girls reading level {recommended ages are 10-14}, so I was the one who sat down to read it. I’m not aware of many juvenile fiction books that focus on the cold-war era, so I was interested to read the book. The setting is the fall of 1962 and follows a young girl named Bertie as she walks through her many fears.

While the topic interested me, I had a rather difficult time really getting into the book itself. The book itself is well written, but it wasn’t one that I personally enjoyed. However, because of the era of history that it covers, it would be a book to consider adding to learn more about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Discussion questions for Bertie’s War as well as a teacher’s guide are also available for download from the Total Language Plus website.

Find Out More

Bertie’s War is available from Kregel Publications for $7.99. If you would like to learn more about Kregel Publications and see some of the other books that the company offers, visit their site and browse through their many books.