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My Brother Bernadette
My younger brother Bernard has some big ideas. At summer camp, he was only interested in doing one thing -- designing costumes for the end-of-the-summer play! Even though the other kids would call him Bernadette forever...
48 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
1 person is currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
394 books5,757 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 14, 2014
I was so disappointed in this book. It starts out well. Sara's younger brother Bernard is picked on at day camp by Big Dan, who calls him Bernadette and teases him mercilessly. Bernard takes a while to figure out what he wants to do, but ends up very happy in the sewing activity. He takes old clothing and jazzes them up with embroidery and other bits from different pieces. The other kids are impressed with his work and he makes a lot of friends, none of whom call him Bernadette anymore. At the end of the book, he gets his revenge on Big Dan by sewing flowers on the back of his costume for the play and writing "Daisy Dan" on it.
This book was great until the end. I loved that Bernard could be his authentic self. He followed his heart, did what he loved, and was appreciated by the other campers in the process. To have him humiliate Dan by calling him something feminine at the end ruined the book for me. It sends the completely wrong message. Bernard saved the day with his costume design. That should have been enough. He of all people should know better than to disparage another's gender identity. A disappointing read that I cannot recommend.
This book was great until the end. I loved that Bernard could be his authentic self. He followed his heart, did what he loved, and was appreciated by the other campers in the process. To have him humiliate Dan by calling him something feminine at the end ruined the book for me. It sends the completely wrong message. Bernard saved the day with his costume design. That should have been enough. He of all people should know better than to disparage another's gender identity. A disappointing read that I cannot recommend.
October 14, 2012
Sara and Bernard join the summer project at the local school where Sara is lumbered with looking after Bernard..as usual! The project has many activities but all Bernard wants to do is join the clothes design lesson which he was really good at. Big Dan, who was much bigger and tougher than Bernard, began to push Bernard around and started to call him 'Bernadette'. Sara wants to help her little brother but she was worried that she might make things worse. Bernard does not need any help, he continues to do what he is best at and has a brilliant plan to solve his problem. I really like the moral of the story as Bernard continues to do what he was interested in. This story can be used in anti bullying lessons in any primary class.
October 24, 2019
A quick romp through a simple story. I read it in the Welsh translation for language learning purposes. An interesting idea but I’m not sure I’m a fan of the idea of having the boy who is teased for not being ‘boyish’ enough finding redemption through sewing. Why not a strong, popular lad who happens to enjoy sewing. I see Jacqueline Wilson’s purpose but it seems quite outdated to present the lad who likes sewing as an outsider/ victim.
June 10, 2019
Tämä oli kiva tarina rohkeudesta olla oma itsensä ja anteeksipyytelemättä harrastaa niitä asioita, jotka kiinnostavat. En kuitenkaan erityisemmin pitänyt loppuratkaisusta, johon kiusaaja Jukan kohdalla päädyttiin.
November 2, 2024
I never knew this book existed as a child but on somewhat of a Jacqueline re-visit a month or two ago I gave it a go, and it was absolutely delightful. Jacqueline Wilson making strides in LGBTQ+ representation in kids' books when it was unheard of to do so. Beautiful.
February 21, 2024
An Excellent read especially for kids having siblings. Older children will completely empathise.
April 16, 2013
I liked this story. It is about a vulnerable child whose life is made unbearable by a bully but ends up getting the upper hand in an unusual way. I think that the story is well written, easy to read, witty and captures some of the nuances of childhood interaction really well. The title of the book is great and apt for the story that unfolds.
The idea of a boy turning to knitting and stitching as a pastime is something I personally found a bit controversial. I'm not sure whether it has anything to do with the book being written by a woman but it could be argued that there is a hidden agenda to feminise boyhood and ultimately manhood. In a primary setting where boys may be lacking in positive male role models, adding yet another layer of femininity to the psyche of children that may already be struggling to establish their identity is an aspect that may have to be thought through seriously. Conversely, it could be argued that the book actually liberates boys from thinking that they have to behave in a particular way in order to be considered masculine. After all, what is wrong with boys knitting or stitching if you like that sort of thing? There are quite a few topics that the book could be used as a precursor to discussing. The obvious one is bullying but it would be possible to cover issues such as what children get up to during their holidays, acceptance of people that aren't like you, opposing perspectives between children and adults, etc.
In conclusion, the author's intention in writing this book may have just been to write a good story but it is great that on closer analysis there are differing meanings that can be drawn from what has been written.
The idea of a boy turning to knitting and stitching as a pastime is something I personally found a bit controversial. I'm not sure whether it has anything to do with the book being written by a woman but it could be argued that there is a hidden agenda to feminise boyhood and ultimately manhood. In a primary setting where boys may be lacking in positive male role models, adding yet another layer of femininity to the psyche of children that may already be struggling to establish their identity is an aspect that may have to be thought through seriously. Conversely, it could be argued that the book actually liberates boys from thinking that they have to behave in a particular way in order to be considered masculine. After all, what is wrong with boys knitting or stitching if you like that sort of thing? There are quite a few topics that the book could be used as a precursor to discussing. The obvious one is bullying but it would be possible to cover issues such as what children get up to during their holidays, acceptance of people that aren't like you, opposing perspectives between children and adults, etc.
In conclusion, the author's intention in writing this book may have just been to write a good story but it is great that on closer analysis there are differing meanings that can be drawn from what has been written.
September 1, 2011
This book narrated by Sara, Bernard's older sister, follows Bernard dealing with being bullied at the Summer Project by Big Dan. The story shows how Bernard overcomes bullying and being called Bernadette due to his different interests to most boys at the Summer Project - clothes design. The issue of bullying in the story is told in a comical manner, lightening the tone of Bernard being bullied. The ending sees Bernard gaining triumph over his bully and popularity with the other children. Children may relate to Bernard in this book, due to being bullied or living in an estate where there is one child everyone is fearful of. I would recommend this book to children in Key Stage Two, I enjoyed this book, in particular how this book illustrates how you don't need violence to stop a bully.
June 18, 2012
Good book by jacqueline wilson.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews