Bertie Stewart is Perfectly Imperfect by Melanie Mosher

“Life isn’t easy and it isn’t always fair. Changing focus helps. Think of what you have done already, not what you haven’t. Be a warrior, not a worrier.” Grammy Stewart

I was pleased as punch and over the moon to be given an advanced copy of Melanie Mosher’s upcoming middle-grade release, Bertie Stewart is Perfectly Imperfect! I not only love the title but also its colourful and attractive cover.

Bertha Mae Stewart aka Bertie is in grade 6. She loves trees and climbing them, wearing sneakers, and having tea at her Grammy Stewart’s house with her best friend Kevin. Grammy Stewart knows hundreds of sayings and always bakes cookies for their tea. Kevin, with his great sense of smell, can name the type of cookie Grammy Stewart has made before he even gets inside her house.

Bertie’s overactive brain worries about everything, everything that has gone wrong in the past or that could go wrong in the future. She feels like she is a disappointment to her father, stepmother, and even her teacher. The only time her inside voice — which she calls Charlotte or Chatty Charlotte Can’t-be-Quiet — is relatively quiet is when she is at Grammy Stewart’s house or up in her favourite tree in Fountain Park.

Bertie’s anxiety escalates when her teacher, Mr. Dawson, assigns a public speaking project. They are to stand up in front of the whole school and read a speech about an unusual job they would like to do, the more unusual the better. Then he goes one step further and pairs Bertie with a classmate who goes out of her way to make her life difficult. Her anxiety further escalates when her Grammy Stewart, at the suggestion of Bertie’s stepmother, decides she is too old to look after her house anymore and begins the process of moving to Sunset Manor. All things come to a head when Bertie, who thinks she has screwed up her friendship with Kevin, falls out of a tree and breaks her arm.

I was pleased with how Mosher explores methods of managing anxiety. Mr. Bryan, a therapist Bertie is introduced to at the hospital, gives her exercises to help her focus on the present moment and to help stop the voices in her head. I also liked “Bertie’s words” and their definitions that are in bold throughout the story, such as What-iffing. “What-iffing: a constant string of questions that make doing anything nearly impossible. What if they don’t like me? What if I look stupid? What if they laugh at me? What if I make a mistake?”

I bet my bottom dollar that anyone who reads this wonderful novel will be as emotionally moved by it as I was. A word of warning: cravings for gingersnaps, snickerdoodles, or chocolate chip cookies may spontaneously occur during the reading of this book.

“I was already thinking of snickerdoodles. I could almost taste the sugary cinnamon morsels of goodness. I loved the cakey texture. They were the best for dunking in glasses of milk.” Bertie

Melanie Mosher has been putting words to paper ever since she took home a silver dollar as the top prize for an essay writing contest in grade two. Just like Bertie Stewart, she loves cookies, trees, and snow angels. She also keeps a “toolbox” full of ways to manage her inside voice. Her first middle-grade novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Goodbye, was a finalist for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award.

Publisher: Nimbus Publishing (May 28, 2024)
Paperback 5″ x 7.5″ ‏|‎ 192 pages
Age Range: Middle Grade
ISBN: ‎ 978-1-77471-276-4

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.