Customer Reviews (4)

Fantastic-a can't put down book
I read the Booky Trilogy and I was so impressed by it, that I E-mailed Sullivan Entertainment (Anne of Green Gables, Road to Avonlea) asking if they would make a television series about the book. There are so many storypossibilities for a TV show that the Booky character could provide.It iseven better that the story is based on the writer's real life.

As alifelong resident of Toronto I enjoyed reading about life in Toronto duringthe 1930's.I loved the many historical clips interspersed throughout thebook, like the shoes sold in the Eaton's catalogue. The book also showsreaders that you don't have to have alot of money to have fun.I lookforward to more books that continue Booky's story.

Very realistic and interesting
I really enjoyed your book Bernice. I read all the booky books about 5 times. I felt so bad when I heard that the turn down from L.M Montgomery had really happened. When I was told you had moved to scarborough I was dissapointed. Because I wanted to meet you so very badly. The book I enjoyed most was "That Scatterbrain Booky" I enjoyed that one because it told me very much about the "1930's" My grandma grew up during the depresion so she explained to me what a "Hoop and Stick" was. They sound very fun and difficult also.

Growing up is hard to do!
Fun-loving, adorable Booky is growing up. She is being swept off her feet by handsome suitors and having a ball at the same time. Booky is achieving some of her dreams and learning to accept her failures. Then...the world war threatens her now stable life and reality as she knows it

The best of the three
Mrs. Hunter.UThis is your number one fan Shaun Bernstein. Keep up the good work BookE ... Read more

Product Description
Like any teenager, Natalie wants to have fun. But it_s 1944, and almost all the boys she knows have signed up and are being shipped overseas to fight the war in Europe. Too often she takes the trip to Union Station to wave goodbye to another friend, wondering if he_ll ever come home again. And like her other girlfriends, Natalie is getting tired of waiting for the war to be over. There are still dances at the Armories to meet handsome boys in uniform, but is that all a girl can do for the war effort?Natalie has a plan. Her first move was to change her name from Beryl, which didn_t sound sophisticated at all. Now she quits school and takes a job at a department store. Buying War Saving Stamps with her meager earnings is not enough for Natalie, however, and soon she finds work at De Havilland Aircraft, making bombers. But it is during this time, when she is taking the most pride in her war work, that Natalie and her family get the news they_ve been dreading: her cousin, a gunner in the Dambusters Squadron, is listed as missing, presumed dead. And as news of other boys reaches home - some of it good but so much of it bad - Natalie begins to wonder what kind of world will be there for them all when the war finally ends.At times funny and at other times deeply moving, Bernice Thurman Hunter_s last novel is drawn from her own memories of being a teenager in Toronto during World War II. In Natalie, Hunter has created a spunky, outspoken and utterly charming character, which readers young and old will revel in. And in her unforgettable portrait of the home front, Hunter has brought to life the daily trials and tribulations of a generation of women who had to stand by while their men went to war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The girls the left behiond review
It had gotten to the point where Beryl was headed to the train station to watch another boy leave more that once a week.This was something she hated doing more than anything.It was during World War II and all of the boys were being shipped away and getting new lives, and she and the other women were left all alone.Beryl kept a diary during this time of everything that was going on.She got a job making goods for the war, because that made her feel like she was being patriotic, since she couldn't do anything bigger.She was on an assembly line making air planes, and she loved the work.She quit high school so she could work more hours.Other than a few of her friends leaving, she hadn't been too involved until her cousin, Carmen left.It was horrible and his mother was so worried about him.And that got worse when a telegram came saying of how he was missing in action.His mother became depressed, and even more so when another telegram came saying he had been presumed dead.She was immediately better when I third telegram came weeks later saying he had been found and was being shipped to a near-by hospital.A lot of her friends didn't ever come home from the war, but when Carmen finally came home, the war was just ended.Beryl didn't have to go to the train station and watch anymore boys leave.This book was really good and just about anyone would like to read it.It's good for all ages.The way it was written with the journal entries for chapters and the surprise ending when Carmen is actually alive are both good ways the author wrote this book.Also the way that Joan and Beryl were friends even before Carmen came home.
The author wrote this book with each chapter as a journal entree, to give the effect that Beryl was telling the story.This made the book much more interesting and easier to get in to.I thought this let Beryl describe herself in a way, and be a narrator.It makes the book seem more realistic because she's writing in a diary, which is where you would tell all of your true thoughts.So through this you feel like you're reading exactly what she's thinking about everything.
In this book, the ending really brings the rest of the book together.When you finish it, it makes you feel like it was really good that you read the book.When Aunt Marie received the telegram saying he was missing, the readers immediate thoughts are that he's dead, and those thoughts are confirmed when the second letter comes saying that he'd been presumed dead.The reader had almost no hope, and the author managed to bring back the character alive for a successful happy ending.
Also, the way that the author made Carmen's girlfriend, Joan Beryl's friend was a good idea.Even though you could tell that Beryl was jealous, she still thought they were really good together, and could tell that Carmen really loved her.The way that Joan and Beryl kept in touch after Carmen went missing was a sort of hint that he was going to be found.Also, it was really good how Joan was brought back in the very end and it leaves you assuming that Joan and Carmen were married.
The girls they left behind was an excellent book.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about wartime stories.It's a great book, and it's easy to get into the story line.It makes you want to finish it before you set it down.Just about any young reader would enjoy the events that take place in this book.
A. Stone

Written with meaningful sentiment
In a story drawn from events in her memoirs, Bernice Thurman Hunter uses potent realism in day by day descriptions to tell the story of one girl's transition to womanhood in the "greatest generation."The Girls They Left Behind tells about a young Canadian girl named Beryl who has to sit and watch friend after friend depart from Union Station to go off to war, leaving her behind.When even her cousin Carmen leaves, Beryl decides to move on with her life, and stand silently waving goodbye at the train station no longer.Changing her name to Natalie (deciding her other name is "not fit to print"), she gets a job helping the war effort.The things she learns from her correspondence with her "war boys" and daily life with others "they left behind" make up the heart and soul of this novel.

Tiny details like descriptions of blackout curtains, buying of war bonds, and letters that arrive unreadable because of censoring provide realistic descriptions of civilian life in wartime; while other details also keep the story rooted in the forties, like when Beryl (oops,Natalie) has to wash her hair with Sunlight and vinegar because of shampoo rationings, or only buy food with certain kinds of ration stamps, or when she and her friends paint their legs with bronzers and draw a line up the back of their legs when they can't afford to buy pantyhose stockings.

But the book isn't just a period piece.The story it tells of love and sacrifice and family is one just as important as any war novel about the heroism of soldiers in battle.While it may be directed to an audience primarily of girls rather than boys, it doesn't mean that anyone couldn't enjoy this easy-to-read, difficult-to-put-down story based on true events.I would recommend it as a good coming of age novel, and wouldn't be surprised to see it on teachers' lists to be used as a jumping off point for study about the Second World War.At not even 200 pages it is an easy read, but with a meaningful sentiment that is difficult to forget.

(...) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good
It's a good ending but Starr wasn't in the book often.It had every thing the Margaret books have, it just wasn't VERY satisfying. ... Read more

Product Description
Amy Phair's world fell apart when her mother died. Her baby sister was taken away, and now Gramma Davis keeps her busy cooking and cleaning for three young brothers and a neglectful father. It isn't fair . . . but Amy promised her mama she'd watch over them all.Still, Amy can dream: dreams of beautiful music, of having a sister, of a father who can love his children again. But what can a twelve-year-old do to make promises come true? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very Good
The description above this entry says it all. This book was very good although it was a bit sad. My heart went out for Amy and her struggle through a hard time. Please e-mail me!

12 year old girl's life after her Mother dies
(written by Uncle John at the direction of Hannah) This is an inspiring book about a 12 year old girl's struggle with life after her mother dies.Yes, this book is sad but I found to to be fun to read and happy aswell.

After her Mother's death, the key character, Amy, finds herselfliving with an alcoholic father, an old old grandma, her two brothers whoare about her age.Absent from this home was Jenny, a 5 (?) year old whowas sent to live with her aunt after their Mother died.While on herMother's deathbed, Amy promises to take care of her sister and 2brothers.

The story is realistic description of how a young girl canovercome the pressure and tragedy of her life.It is also about a younggirl's relationship with a less than perfect Father.As a 10 year old Iloved this book and recommend highly.It is often sad, but the good partsmake up for this. ... Read more

Product Description
Beatrice Thomson doesn't mind her funny nickname.It makes her feel special, which is important when you're the middle child: not the smartest, or the best-looking, or a boy.The Depression years are hard ones, with her father out of work and the family struggling to make ends meet.But irrepressible Booky, with her big imagination and even bigger plans, can tackle anything.A sharp-eyed kid can find plenty to see and do without spending a cent.Even if it does get her into scrapes! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just like my Grandma
First read these books in the early 80's and they have been read many times over.I recommend it to all people who live in the Toronto area.It echos the life of my Grandmonther who grew up in Toronto during the 20's.It is a great way for young childern to get connected to what life was like early in the century.Must read, should be in the Toronto School System as manditory reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Word count: 2084. ... Read more

Product Description
A stout loghouse and a strong papa; crackly cornhusk mattresses and water fetched from a spring down the hill; crashing trees and howling storms; encounters with bears, wolves and deer; exciting trips to Toronto.All these things and more - make a rich and varied life for young Willie Adams. Find out what it was like to live in Northern Ontario in 1888 in this book by the award-winning author of the popular Booky trilogy and Amy's Promise. ... Read more

Product Description
Graham is an orphan who yearns for a real family. The Velma Villa orphanage keeps him safe andwarm, but Mother Button does little to make him feel loved. Graham knows from his birth certificate that his birthday is June 2nd, 1935, that he was born in Islington, England, and that his mother's name isMarietta Robbertson. Armed with this information, he runs away again and again to find his mother, but isunsuccessful. When the police catch up with him, he's returned to the Villa. Graham promises himself that he will never give up his dream to find his family. As a grown man, he keeps his promise, and Graham's quest leads him home to his family at last. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

wonderful memories
Somewhere in a bookcase in my childhood homes sits three tattered, dog-eared books from Bernice Thurman Hunter's "Booky" series.These are delightful, stirring semi-autobiographical tales of growing up in Depression-era Toronto. Hunter writes honestly about the challenges and family dynamics that made this time in her life both heartwrenching and heartwarming.I reread these books dozens of times and plan to purchase them for my nieces.They fostered a love of history that I still carry with me. I loved being a part of Booky's world, and you will, too.

An Extremely good book, richly deserving 5 Stars!
I read this book in Grade five, and I have loved It ever since. Bernice Thurman Hunter tells her story so well!The story has been my favourite ever since I read it. It shows that even through the most difficult times,a family can still have the will to stick together.This story, basically,is about a family trying to pull through the Great Depression in the 1930s.This Story Takes place in Toronto, and the reason I like it a lot isbecause I grew up there. The Story really defines what we have to bethankful for, and the story has a wonderful ending. I give this Story 5Stars!

Not your typical love story
This is undoubtedly one of the best stories of all time! Rich characters and simply beautiful plot. Booky, a spunky pre-teen, is living with her poverty-stricken family in Ontario during The Great Depression.Still, she suffers the awkwardness and pains of growing up with spirit and strength.This is NOT a depressing story at all! It talks about how a family sticks together and loves one another during the most difficult of times.It isn't a preachy kind of story "to be grateful for what you have", but that is the goal that it ultimately achieves.A treasure of a book ... Read more