Bertha, a thirteen old teenage girl, living the South Bronx, is having trouble dealing with everyday issues that children face in school and just growing up. Bertha is uncoordinated, not very pretty and has trouble doing any physical activities. Bertha has a sister named Tillie who is very pretty, very agile and has no problem making friends or doing all of the things that Bertha cannot do. They are total opposites. Tillie and many of Bertha’s cousins enjoy laughing at her when she tried to ice skate; take dancing lessons or even bowl. Bertha attempted to do all of these things but could not. However, she is smart, sassy and has a great sense of humor, which helps her to deal with these experiences and others. Growing up can be difficult when you are over weight or not really good at sports or dancing. I hope you will learn from reading my book that you can be anything that you want to be and no one can stop you from reaching your goals and dreams. Not everyone is born athletic, beautiful, thin or a genius. However, every one is smart or excellent in something whether it is drawing, jumping rope or even running track. Who you are as a person is what makes you special. I hope that you enjoy reading about Bertha and Tillie and learn that there is a little bit of Bertha in everyone. My first two books send a positive message to children. They both deal with real life issues that children face today. Being over weight, bullied in school, and not very pretty made life hard for me. I know that it makes it even more difficult for children growing up today. In Bertha Fights Back Bertha learns that following the path of others and not being true to who you are can be costly in many different ways.