The Miserable Life of Bernie LeBaron

by J.W. Elliot

Bad luck is like a disease. When you catch it, all you can do is live with it.

Bernie LeBaron is already a scrawny thirteen-year-old magnet for misfortune. But when his father pawns him off on relatives after his mother dies, and he accidentally takes a picture of a man carrying a dead body through the woods, Bernie’s life becomes truly miserable. Now he must discover who the murderer is while staying out of trouble so that his father doesn’t take him away. Will the fates decide to salvage the miserable life of Bernie of LeBaron?

Perfect for fans of Gary D. Schmidt’s Wednesday Wars and Okay for Now, Christopher Paul Curtis’s Bud Not Buddy, Richard Peck’s A Year Down Yonder, and Jack Gantos’s Dead End in Norvelt.

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

James is a twenty-nine-year-old stuck in an older man’s body. He loves to paddle his canoe, shoot his handmade longbows in the woods, make knives, study martial arts, and generally enjoys challenging himself. When not teaching or writing about the real past, he is imagining worlds and histories that might have been, should have been, or may yet be.

James has two homes (though only one house)--the mountains of Idaho and the forests of New England--where he canoes, hikes, camps, rock climbs, and shoots the longbows he makes himself. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife. ​

James is a professional historian whose published works include two histories of the Inquisition, a documentary history of Columbus's first voyage, a transcription of a colonial era account book from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and a global history of piracy. This means that he is a professional teller of stories, both real and imagined.

James's favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien, though he will never be able to watch the Peter Jackson Hobbit films again. The first viewing nearly gave him a fit. He loves The Giver and The Book Thief. He has read all the Hunger Games novels, but thinks Katniss should have ended up with Gale. (Sorry Peeta fans.) He enjoys Harry Potter and thinks magic should be real--so long as he owns the Elder Wand.

For more background, images, videos, and information related to my stories and my hobbies, see my Pinterest boards. https://www.pinterest.com/jwelliot1/b...

Reviews

[Bookwurm637]

5 🌟s. Highly recommend. My only regret is that I let it sit on my TBR for months. Seemed aimed at kids aged 11 or 12 up. But it's a beautiful story for everyone.

A story at turns funny, scary, and touching. About loss, grief, and a found family. Lovely.

[Kelly]

Delightful

I flew through this story. It has a wholesome message and any age reader will enjoy it. Recommend it, I do!