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That Scatterbrain Booky

(Booky #1)

Bernice Thurman Hunter

4.23 · Rating details · 508 ratings · 30 reviews

Booky didn't know much about the reasons for the Great Depression. All she knew was that she was hungry all the time, that her parents fought constantly, that the bailiff would soon return to evict her family from their home. Worst of all, she knew that Christmas would be a time of empty stockings instead of presents under the tree, a time of mashed potatoes and turnips in ...more

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Paperback, 181 pages

Published 1985 by Scholastic (first published June 1981)

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Nov 02, 2013 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series

2nd re-read of 2019
I first read this series when I was in the 6th grade and borrowed them many times from the school library. As soon as they appeared in Scholastic, my mom just had to buy them and I can easily say that they still mean something to me today as an adult. These books give a clear picture of just how hard life was like for a Canadian family during the Great Depression.

Our story is set in the city of Toronto, Ontario in 1932/1933. Bernice Thurman Hunter shows us the men looking fo ...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Manybooks rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone who loves realistic historical fiction for children

Shelves: historical-fiction, childrens-literature, book-reviews, favourites-read

Originally published by Scholastic, Canada in 1981, Bernice Thurman Hunter's sweet and evocative That Scatterbrain Booky is actually the first installment of a trilogy featuring young Beatrice Thomson and her immediate and extended family's life and struggles during the hard days of Depression era Toronto (the other books of the trilogy are With Love From Booky, As Ever, Booky, and the entire trilogy has also recently been rereleased as Booky: A Trilogy). From the information about Bernice Thurm Originally published by Scholastic, Canada in 1981, Bernice Thurman Hunter's sweet and evocative That Scatterbrain Booky is actually the first installment of a trilogy featuring young Beatrice Thomson and her immediate and extended family's life and struggles during the hard days of Depression era Toronto (the other books of the trilogy are With Love From Booky, As Ever, Booky, and the entire trilogy has also recently been rereleased as Booky: A Trilogy). From the information about Bernice Thurman Hunter as it is presented on Goodreads, it becomes rather obvious that the Booky trilogy is, in fact, rather autobiographical, and that young Beatrice Thomson very much and very closely mirrors the author herself as a young child, that Beatrice and her family's struggles are, indeed, at least partially, the struggles faced by Bernice Thurman Hunter and her family during much of her own childhood.

I love everything about That Scatterbrain Booky. The sense of place (of 1930s Toronto and its environs) is real and palpable; Toronto as a city, with its landmarks, its department stores, its streetcars almost feels like an actual character in the book (and the archival photographs included also add to this sense of place). And Booky is an absolutely adorable and wonderful narrator. Seeing Toronto, Depression era life and its problems, its many struggles, but also some of its joys through her eyes, through Booky's narrative voice, was and still continues to be both eye-opening and refreshing. That Scatterbrain Booky is simply wonderful, and much of the wonder, the pleasure (even if it is sometimes also painful and sad) comes from the fact that the novel (just like the rest of the trilogy) strives to be realistic, often even brutally realistic, presenting a real and utterly believable mirror of what life was often like during the Great Depression, especially for working-class families like the Thomsons (not being able to pay the rent, being dependent on social welfare, not having enough food for the family, actually arguing about and debating wether it might not be better to put an expected baby up for adoption).

And thus, many ways, That Scatterbrain Booky is a story with heavy, problematic themes, a novel that could very easily have been first and foremost a hard and devastating description life during the Depression. However, Booky's narration, her many humorous asides, the love and sense of family togetherness and loyalty shown do help to mitigate and relegate that present and often very visible sense of desperation and poverty. Even during the worst fights, even when the father actually strikes the mother, there is (at least for me) a sense that this family really and truly loves one another deeply and lastingly, that while there are definitely problems and instances of dysfunction, these are mostly the result of the terrible living conditions and the fact that the father feels ashamed of being out of work and thus a burden to society (and while this in NO way excuses the fact that he hit his wife, it does put the fights, the anger, the arguments somewhat in perspective). And it is furthermore most refreshing that Bernice Thurman Hunter has shown Booky's parents (who really do seem to represent her own parents) realistically, that she has decided to paint a real picture of what the Depression was like for many, that she has not sugar-coated her story.

That Scatterbrain Booky is divided into short, manageable chapters and has a text that reads easily and flowingly; most children above the age of eight or nine would likely have no problems with reading and reading comprehension (although they might have some questions regarding historical facts and/or some of the Toronto landmarks, street names etc.). However, because of the rather heavy themes (the poverty, the family arguments, and especially the fact that there are instances of physical abuse as well as physical discipline described in That Scatterbrain Booky), the novel might be better suited for slightly older children (say above the age of ten or eleven). Also, some of the issues mentioned and presented should probably be discussed and debated (children reading the story might have questions, but even if they do not seem to have questions, there is both room and I think even a need to discuss and analyse some of the heavier themes depicted). ...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Lisa (not getting friends updates) Vegan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, fiction, 1-also-at-librarything, novel, young-adult, z2012, historical-fiction, reviewed, zz-5star

I read this book in this omnibus edition: Booky: A Trilogy.

Thanks to Goodreads’ friends Gundula, I have a copy of this of my very own, which I am happy to lend out. Another Goodreads friend offered to let me borrow her copies of the three books. What a wonderful site this is! What’s infuriating and disappointing though is how many books from faraway, and not all that far away, places are sometimes not available. Yes, this book is old, but it’s reprinted, and yet it’s not available at my public l ...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, 1910s-1950s, middle-grade

I loved this book about ten-year-old Beatrice and her family during the Great Depression in Toronto, Canada in 1932-33. It's "one of those books" about which I struggle to write an adequate review because I loved it so much, in so many ineffable ways. But, I wanted to get down a few (inadequate) words before I get too busy. I wish there were more reviews of this wonderful book here but I gather that it was never published in the US so the scarcity of reviews might be down to the fact this book i I loved this book about ten-year-old Beatrice and her family during the Great Depression in Toronto, Canada in 1932-33. It's "one of those books" about which I struggle to write an adequate review because I loved it so much, in so many ineffable ways. But, I wanted to get down a few (inadequate) words before I get too busy. I wish there were more reviews of this wonderful book here but I gather that it was never published in the US so the scarcity of reviews might be down to the fact this book isn't widely known. I read it thanks to the recommendation of a friend (Gundula, you rock!) as a book in keeping with the spirit of L. M. Montgomery's books over in our Kindred Spirits Group here on GoodReads and I feel that it definitely fits the spirit. We have a spunky, "scatterbrain" girl, making sense of the world, often with a joyous spirit, but with deep emotions and a curious nature that sometimes makes life very poignant for her. Also, her interest to become a writer seems to be one (out of many professions she became excited over, as young children do!),that sticks, from what I gather about the sequels.

One thing very different from LMM's book is that this is very much a story about family, with a mom and dad and siblings. It's so clear that Booky (her mother calls her this as a special pet name, and it's pronounced Boo-ky, with the "boo" like "boo-hoo") adores her parents, yet she is also at the age when she starts to realize they are not perfect. The parents' constant fighting is a symptom of the very difficult circumstances, with the poor mother working hard to keep a family of four fed, with another baby on the way, and to keep their house spotlessly tidy and their clothes perfectly darned and clean (it is her way of keeping pride for the family despite their destitute state) and the father off looking for work every day (often a fruitless search), taking only scraps at dinner because sacrificing his food is all he can do to help his little ones. Yet, there are also loving moments between them, too. While a few instances of the fighting is hard to read about (in one, and only one, case, the father strikes the mother), it was also impossible to judge them too harshly--the strain on them must have been incredible and I'm sure that even the most loving of couples would not weather such difficult times without some stormy rows.

Booky's siblings also play a large role in the story. There is pretty and intelligent Willa, fifteen years old, the star of the family who earns prizes in school. Arthur, next in line, who is clever but tired of being in Willa's shadow and full of boyish energy. After Booky is Jakey, whom Booky at first resented (she having been the baby of the family for six years) but then came to love. And a new baby is on the way. Booky's extended family also populates the book, just as they populate Toronto and the surrounding area. Indeed, Booky's grandfather's family was one of the first to settle the Swansea area. I thought how jolly it must be to have so many aunts and uncles working all over the city, seeing them as you go shopping or ride the streetcar (and, best of all, when they work at the fair and get you onto rides for free!) but I think my favorite of the extended family were Grandpa Thompson, for his quiet wisdom and abounding love, and Aunt Milly with her warm, cheerful and giving nature--as Booky said, Aunt Milly was one of those people who could joyously shout "I love you!" as you headed off down the street, not caring who heard ;-)

The sense of place in this story is just wonderful. I have never been to Toronto, but it seemed very vivid to me as I read this and I imagine those who are familiar with the city will enjoy picking out the landmarks still visible today. Too, I appreciated how the story offered so many complex views of the *people* who made up the Great Depression. From those who let themselves get really down-and-out, to those like Booky's family determined to keep some sense of pride in the face of adversity, to the upper-classes who would sometimes be so generous to their less fortunate neighbors, even if it was a bit of embarrassment to both for it to take place. Booky's own family was also such a connundrum--on the one hand, her father never liked to accept hand-outs and felt better getting the "pogey" (social welfare) pay when he did some work for it, yet her mother would take a trial rn of a washing machine from the department store, knowing full well she wouldn't keep it, then return it for her money back at the end of the trial. Also, they constantly had to allude the bailiff when they didn't pay rent. I was glad that Booky humanized him, though--at first they called him "the ratman" but then they realized that he was just doing his job, and that he didn't like kicking people out of their homes.

There are so many wonderful moments of wisdom and humor in the book, too. I was cracking up at some of Willa's exchanges with Booky, like with Booky's coming to understand where babies come from! So many scenes are so memorable, and the characters felt REAL, no small feat for such a slim book. I gather that this is a fairly autobiographical book, and I think it's easy to see why it's dedicated "To Mum and Dad, who loved me."

Highly recommended.
...more

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May 16, 2009 Nancy rated it it was amazing

This is a delightful book that I loved ever since I was a 10 year old kid. It's about another 10 year old girl growing up in Toronto during the 1930's (the depression years). The family has a lot of struggles but they always make it through somehow. The author makes everything so real that you must think it has to be based on some kind of true story. It is, an always be, a favourite of mine. ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Abigail rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Middle-Grade Readers Who Enjoy Historical Fiction

Shelves: canadian-children, great-depression, feisty-girls, historical-fiction, childrens-fiction

Originally published in 1981, this slender little paperback packs quite a punch! The first of a trilogy of books depicting a young girl's experiences growing up in Depression-era Toronto - it is followed by With Love From Booky and As Ever, Booky - it is by turns humorous and heartbreaking, never shying away from depicting the disturbing realities of life during that tumultuous time, but also giving full expression to the joys and pleasures of childhood, and of family life. Chronicling t Originally published in 1981, this slender little paperback packs quite a punch! The first of a trilogy of books depicting a young girl's experiences growing up in Depression-era Toronto - it is followed by With Love From Booky and As Ever, Booky - it is by turns humorous and heartbreaking, never shying away from depicting the disturbing realities of life during that tumultuous time, but also giving full expression to the joys and pleasures of childhood, and of family life. Chronicling the adventures of Booky (Beatrice) Thomson, and the trials and tribulations that she and her family endure from 1932 through 1933, when her father is (despite all his better efforts) unemployed, and her family is continually being evicted by the bailiff, That Scatterbrain Booky is a record of hunger - the book opens as Booky hands her mother a note from the school nurse, to the effect that she (Booky) is more than twenty pounds underweight, and therefore qualifies for free government milk - and the unhappiness caused by want; but it is also a loving portrait of a family that, despite the strains put upon them by their real and pressing need, is bound together by the ties of love.

Booky is a engaging narrator, with a distinctive (and distinctly amusing) voice all her own, and watching events unfold through her eyes is both hilarious and poignant - often all at once. Her little asides, and ruminations on the people around her are quite amusing, as are her innocent observations and unasked questions: Where do babies come from? If Uncle Charlie sends his baby girl "back," because he wants a son instead, where would she go back to? Impressively, Bernice Thurman Hunter manages to include some terribly devastating episodes - a family fight in which Booky's father strikes her mother; an overheard conversation, in which Booky's mother considers giving up her unborn child for adoption, because she cannot afford to feed the four children she already has - in her story, and still preserve the essentially carefree feeling of the book as a whole. This is because she really is telling the story through a child's eyes - her own eyes, as I understand these books are largely autobiographical.

Compulsively readable, immensely enjoyable, and greatly moving, That Scatterbrain Booky is a title that I highly recommend, to all young readers who enjoy historical fiction, and to anyone interested in Depression-era Toronto. I had no sooner set it down, then I was reaching for the second installment of Booky's story, With Love From Booky . ...more

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May 01, 2012 Cynthia Hill rated it it was amazing

I have read this book (and the sequels) so many times since I was a kid, I've lost count. I understand it better every time, and it's all the more relevant today. Booky (Beatrice) Thompson is a 10 year old "scatterbrain" in 1932 Toronto. Her father is out of work, like so many other families she knows, and the family is constantly being evicted from their homes because of it (again, not uncommon.) Booky is incredibly endearing, and you really root for the family to make it through the Great Depr ...more

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Mar 10, 2012 LauraW rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grades, owned

I enjoyed this book for its honest depiction of the trials of family life during the depression. In its depiction of everyday life during historical times, it reminds me of Anne of Green Gables. The book is similarly episodic and filled with little vignettes of experiences.

And I enjoyed the main character, Beatrice. One minor gripe, though, is that I don't quite understand how she got the appellation "Scatterbrain". She seems to have had dyscalculia long before that was even beginning to have a ...more

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Sep 01, 2008 EvaEvaEva rated it it was amazing

My teacher read this book to us when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. I fell in love with it then, and still love it! I've read all the books in the Booky series, but obviously, the first one is the best. I always crawl into bed with this book and Anne of Green Gables when I'm sick. A must read. ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Kimberly O'Meara rated it it was amazing

Another story about a girl growing up poor in toronto during the depression. Read this and then read it to your pre teens daughters-they'll eat it up and get them off the Wii for a few minutes. ...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Jayme rated it liked it

Fun, quick read. A must for anyone who lives or grew up in Toronto.

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Jun 09, 2011 Meghan Moloney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own

This series basically formed my entire understanding of what it was like to live through the Great Depression in Toronto.

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Nov 04, 2020 Charleen rated it really liked it

Depression era Toronto memoir. I loved it as a child and really enjoyed sharing it with my kids, especially as some of it takes place near where their grandparents are. All three are a good read, some mature themes (puberty).

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Mar 24, 2016 Kristal rated it it was amazing

An amazing firsthand account of the author's childhood living in Toronto during the depression. It may be catalogued as "young adult fiction" but I have read this at least once a year since the first time I picked it up at the age of 9 and the stories only seem to resonate more as I age (and certainly since I moved to Toronto at age 22). This book truly makes me smile, cry and cringe at the various misadventures of Booky and her family.
Do not watch the terrible tv movies that have recently been ...more

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May 19, 2014 B.j. Thompson rated it liked it

My husband showed me this book when we were cleaning up our bookshelves, and he told me he remembered reading it as a child. So I zipped through it because it isn't very often he recommends a book to me. Booky is a truly lovable child who is struggling to survive through The Great Depression with her family. Eviction notes, terrible choices, parental issues all play a part in this novel that tugged at my heartstrings. Great choice by my husband. I recommend this for young readers. ...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Lisa rated it really liked it

I loved it because it takes place in Toronto and I know most of the streets and places mentioned. It was really neat to read about what Toronto was like during the Depression. It was like a history lesson, but way more interesting.

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Oct 15, 2012 Lindsay Nichols rated it it was ok

Shelves: canadians, historical-fiction, library-books, families, part-of-a-series, childrens

Funny, I remember liking Booky more when I was little...just reading again recently it didn't move me the way I thought it would. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood, or place, or I read too quickly...

I can't figure out if a lot of things happened, or nothing happened at all.... ...more

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Oct 02, 2013 Ambika rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-usually-read-current-done, nov-2013-done, historical-fiction-current-done

This book was really good and I learned about the great depression, although at times I got a bit confused. I think this book was very cute because the book was at Booky's perspective and she said many cute things. ...more

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Mar 22, 2012 H rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hedder-s-favs

These were some of my favourite books when I was 8 or 10. I must have read the series about 20 times. Thanks Booky!

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Aug 10, 2012 Jenna rated it really liked it

read this as a kid- but i read the whole series like 8 times! About a girl growing up during the depression in Toronto (the author actually). i loved the local references.

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Sep 11, 2012 Jill rated it really liked it

Shelves: dont-own

It was really cute, for a kid's book! I'd recommend it for kids. :) ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Nancy rated it it was amazing

Reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn reminded me of this series. A wonderful portrayal of a child's life during depression era Toronto. Booky will steal your heart. ...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Theshanster rated it really liked it

Shelves: ginger-s-reads-ratings

Neat that its set in Toronto.

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Apr 05, 2013 Rachel rated it it was amazing

My all time favorite book. Booky is one of my greatest inspirations in life.

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May 07, 2019 Tom Ryan rated it it was amazing

This was a childhood fave that I must have read a dozen times in elementary school. Since I'm living in Toronto for a year, I was keen to get my hands on a copy and re-read now that I know the city more intimately, and so I was excited to find a copy at a secondhand book sale last week. This depression era story - basically a novelized memoir based on the author's childhood memories - was a quick read, and just as lively and engaging as I remembered. There were some darker moments that caught me ...more

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Apr 19, 2018 Doris rated it liked it · review of another edition

An interesting little book based on the Great Depression Years from the point of view of a ten-year-old girl. Apparently, author Bernice Thurman Hunter based her stories on her own family and childhood memories and Booky may just be based on her.
This book is a very straight-forward and easy read with short chapters, covering a certain memory / experience each. I found it very educational, and a refreshing and different view on a very tough time.

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Jul 29, 2018 Kelly rated it it was amazing

This is a story of a girl growing up in Toronto! I read this a kid, but love it as an adult too because of all the Toronto references and history. I recommend this to anyone wanting to read about Toronto in the past. Booky references sears, the TTC, the CNE...just really liked reading about things I know and how they were years ago!

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Nov 13, 2018 Madame Jane rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-library

Tales of a girl growing up in Depression era Toronto. I loved the family, and the familiarity of the Toronto neighbourhoods, and annual festivities. A book that should make me grateful that I never had to go without, unlike most children those days.

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Jun 09, 2019 Sharon Stine rated it liked it

Although written for the 'youth' market this gives a feel of the depression from the point of view of a young Canadian girl in a family of 5 children. A gentle interesting read ...more

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Jul 18, 2019 Erin rated it it was amazing

I first read this book as a young girl (sometime between 10-12) and loved it!! I reread it over and over. I recently reread it at 30 years old and it is still a delightful story about a girl from a poor family growing up during the 1930s in Toronto, Canada. I think it is a story that all ages can appreciate.

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About Bernice Thurman Hunter

Bernice Thurman Hunter

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She was born in Toronto, Ontario, on November 3, 1922 and died May 29, 2002. She married her high school sweetheart, Lloyd Hunter, and had two children, Anita and Heather, and four grandchildren, Meredith, Lisa, Hunter and Franceline. No Greats.

Bernice was the middle child of 5 children (Wilma, Gordon, Bernice, Jack and Robert). She struggled in school because they moved so often. The Booky Tril She was born in Toronto, Ontario, on November 3, 1922 and died May 29, 2002. She married her high school sweetheart, Lloyd Hunter, and had two children, Anita and Heather, and four grandchildren, Meredith, Lisa, Hunter and Franceline. No Greats.

Bernice was the middle child of 5 children (Wilma, Gordon, Bernice, Jack and Robert). She struggled in school because they moved so often. The Booky Trilogy, set during the Great Depression, depicts her family being forced to stay ahead of the bailiff, who threw them out when her unemployed father couldn't afford the rent. (Despite the hardships of poverty, it was her nature to be happy, so the books are upbeat.) They lived in Birchcliff and Swansea. The "new house" was on Cornell Avenue and she went to Birchcliff Public School, but most of her childhood and teens were spent on Lavinia, which is why Swansea claims her for their own. She attended Runnymede Collegiate, but didn't graduate because the war started and she went to work (depicted in The Girls They Left Behind). As a new bride, she lived on Gladstone Avenue in Toronto. Her husband was transferred to Peterborough, so they moved to Millbrook when her children were young. In 1956, she and her husband bought their own home on Meldazy Drive in a beautiful new subdivision in Scarborough, when McCowan was a gravel road and north of Ellesmere was farmland. Her books accurately depict these locales in different eras. Toronto is "a character" in her books.

She was interested in writing since early childhood and would often have a captive audience of school chums lined up along the curb to listen to her stories. In her teens, she met and had the temerity to present a story to her idol, L.M. Montgomery. The famous author of Anne Of Green Gables complimented Bernice: "Your characters ring true!...You have a good imagination" – blissful words for the young author's ears, but the next bit of advice was a crushing blow to the fourteen-year-old's already faltering self-esteem. Montgomery said, "A writer must have higher education -- it is imperative that you go to University." The young hopeful went away dejected. What Ms. Montgomery could not know was that Bernice came from a very poor background and had no hope of a University Education. The fateful words stayed buried in her heart for many years. An avid reader, she was self-educated. She often read a book in one night.

She continued to write because writing was as natural to her as breathing. When her own children were small, Bernice wrote for them an ongoing story about their lives in Millbrook, Ontario with themselves as heroines. (Her first manuscript, Kimberley of Millpond, has been published 55 years later in 2010 by her daughter.) Her stories were written in longhand because Bernice didn't own a typewriter. It was not until her children were grown that she decided to try to publish. She obtained an old Underwood typewriter and tapped out a story about her first grandchild, aptly titled, "A Grandchild Can Make Life Beautiful Again". She sent it to The Toronto Star and they published it and sent her a cheque for fifty-dollars. After that she wrote and published numerous stories for children in magazines and anthologies and then went on to publish 17 novels.

Bernice's novels, especially the "Booky" trilogy, are autobiographical in nature. Her strength as a writer lies in her ability to bring her childhood memories vividly to life for her young readers. Because the setting and tone of her novels accurately capture the past, she was acknowledged by the Toronto Historical Society and her books are used in history as well as language programs in schools. She was in constant demand as a guest speaker in schools and libraries across Canada and her daughter, Heather Hunter, now goes in her stead. Heather gives a power point presentation on Bernice's life and works.

Of her school visits, Bernice once said: "My favourite part of a school visit is 'que ...more