My Name Is Bertha

Bertha and Tillie

by Fran Lewis

Dear Bertha, Falling in the hole must have been painful. I know it hurt a lot when I broke my arm playing baseball. You were brave to stay in the hole all night and not get too scared. Love, Casey Dear Bertha, I am so sorry that you could not dance. I am not so great either. Love, Dani Dear Bertha, So what if you will never be an Olympic skater. You are really smart in school. That instructor needs to learn to be nicer to his students. Love, DJ Dear Bertha, You see, there are nice boys in the world that judge girls not by how they look but by how nice they are. Just like you! Love, Katie and Carly and Cade Dear Bertha, You are a great puncher. Who cares if you can't run fast you always get a homerun. Good Job. Love, Josh and Jake Hi! I'm Bertha, Thank you for your encouragement. I am ten years old and not matter what I do I can never get it right. Whether it is dancing lessons, ice skating or just playing punch ball, I poor Bertha can never win. Either I would fall down, trip over my feet or want to hide under the covers and never come out. Dancing lessons were a nightmare because standing on toe shoes required 5 people to hold me up to prevent me from falling. Skating lessons were hazardous to the instructor and even trying to convince my mother to let me my own outfit for my first dance took all of my powers of persuasion and a whole lot more. These are stories of me ten year Bertha who had a tough time growing up. I was over weight, not very pretty and got teased and picked on. For anyone who has ever had someone make fun of them, I hope you will learn from me Bertha that who you are inside makes the person, not what you look like on the outside. Love, Bertha

61 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2007

About the author

Biography: Fran Lewis

Born in the South Bronx, I grew up with people from many ethnic backgrounds. I learned to play and work with children in my school that came from other countries and different places.
I was always over weight as a child and got picked on a lot by the other children in my class and even my teachers. I found it hard to do many of the sporting activities that my sister and cousins could do. I learned at an early age that kids can be mean and I promised myself that I would never retaliate or do mean things to other kids in return.


When I decided to write my short stories I realized that I had a lot to say about my youth and in both of my books I tell about a ten year old girl named Bertha who learns to deal with real life issues kids face today at home and in school. I write reviews for other sites and I wrote three children’s books and currently writing one on Alzheimer’s Disease.

As an educator I the New York City Public Schools for over 36 years, I realized just how unique and precious our children are. I was the reading and writing staff developer in my school and the dean. I loved the children and had the respect of my fellow teachers and parents.

Teaching children to read was really very rewarding and introducing them to writing and creating their own stories was exciting for the students. I am a member of WhosWho of America’s Executives and Professionals as well as a member of WhosWho of America’s Teachers. I am the author of three children’s books and my fourth entitled Memories Are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s Story will be out next month. I am currently writing my fourth Bertha Book and a second on cognitive ways to keep your brain alert. The tentative title is Sharp as a Tack or Scrambled Eggs: Which Describes Your Brain. This book will deal with how we should help those who are seniors keep their minds and bodies active as well as ways to help delay dementia and Alzheimer’s.


I review books for Manic Readers, I justfinished.com and BookPleasures.com. I review books for authors upon request and would love to get paid for doing my reviews. There are publicists that send me books to review and that get paid for my reviews. I wrote five books that are self-published and I am going to complete one book children’s book and one based on a true story.

I host two radio shows on Red River Radio. The first is a book discussion where I interview or ask authors questions about their writing and books along with a book club panel to ask additional questions. I am going to host a show for children’s and Ya authors starting in August. I have been interviewed many times. I will be interviewed on D’s Roundtable on August 19th at and page Page Readers on Sept. 27th at three. My book discussion show is the third Wed. of every month at one eastern and my children’s author’s show will be four times a year. I am also going to interview Dr. Kenneth Weene on Sept. 21st at four. I had to reschedule the interview due to personal reasons. We will discuss the inside scoop about insane asylums and his career working in one plus his book Memoirs from an Asylum.

I hope this gives you a picture of what I do. Fran

I am a reading and writing staff developer and I worked with children with reading and writing disabilities.
https://profiles.google.com/gabina49

Reviews

[Martha Cheves · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Bertha is about an overweight young girl. The teasing, name calling and problems that are associated with her weight problem are typical for a young person in her position. But the real problem isn’t just her peers teasing her it’s also the lack of help from some of the adults she encounters.

As a child, I too was overweight, so the pain that Bertha feels through her stories in this book hit home with me. I feel this is a wonderfully written book that would be helpful not just for young people who are overweight but also for those who look at a person, no matter the age, call them names, shun them and refuse to accept them as they are. This is a great book of moral teachings for young children and even some adults.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Road Taken by Rona Jaffe is a five star read. It spans from 1900 to the year 2000 and deals with lives of the Smith family and they entertwin. This book deals with real life issues that we face today even though it starts out in the year 1910. It is on of the best books I have ever read.

[Tammy Tappan · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING FOR ALL AGES. IT IS FUNNY, AND HAS A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BOOK! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO CHILDREN OF ALL AGES AND ADULTS. IT IS SENSATIONAL! MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS LOVED THIS BOOK!

TAMMY T