Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
What a fun book! The EDUCATION OF BET took me totally by surprise. The storyline caught my interest, but it was the actual book that kept me turning the pages.
Elizabeth "Bet" was the daughter of the manor help. Will was the son of the lord of the manor. They were born into the same house, but never interacted. At least not until they were both orphaned and Will's uncle took them in.
.
Bet is stuck between two worlds - that of servant and that of almost family. Will is still privileged but tossing away his education. He's been kicked out of four schools and his uncle has given him one last chance. Bet would give anything for the educational opportunities that Will is just throwing away. Will, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to join the military. But being the only remaining heir, it would kill his uncle to allow Will to sign up.
It's with this knowledge that Bet hatches her crazy scheme. She convinces Will to let her take his place at his new school. If Will can help her walk and talk and act like a boy, she can assume his identity and he can join the military. The two come up with a workable plan, and everything starts off smoothly.
But there are things that Bet didn't account for upon arriving at school. Least of all is her attraction to her roommate, James.
From that point on, you can imagine the situation. It all gets far more complicated, and getting to the ending is half the fun. Don't let the fact that THE EDUCATION OF BET may be classified as "historical" in genre put you off. It may take place in the past, but the style is easy to read and applicable to any time period. This was so different from the other books I've read by Ms. Baratz-Logsted, but it was just as enjoyable, if not more so, than those others.
What a fun book! The EDUCATION OF BET took me totally by surprise. The storyline caught my interest, but it was the actual book that kept me turning the pages.
Elizabeth "Bet" was the daughter of the manor help. Will was the son of the lord of the manor. They were born into the same house, but never interacted. At least not until they were both orphaned and Will's uncle took them in.
.
Bet is stuck between two worlds - that of servant and that of almost family. Will is still privileged but tossing away his education. He's been kicked out of four schools and his uncle has given him one last chance. Bet would give anything for the educational opportunities that Will is just throwing away. Will, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to join the military. But being the only remaining heir, it would kill his uncle to allow Will to sign up.
It's with this knowledge that Bet hatches her crazy scheme. She convinces Will to let her take his place at his new school. If Will can help her walk and talk and act like a boy, she can assume his identity and he can join the military. The two come up with a workable plan, and everything starts off smoothly.
But there are things that Bet didn't account for upon arriving at school. Least of all is her attraction to her roommate, James.
From that point on, you can imagine the situation. It all gets far more complicated, and getting to the ending is half the fun. Don't let the fact that THE EDUCATION OF BET may be classified as "historical" in genre put you off. It may take place in the past, but the style is easy to read and applicable to any time period. This was so different from the other books I've read by Ms. Baratz-Logsted, but it was just as enjoyable, if not more so, than those others.
I have a soft spot of historical novels where a young girl goes against convention to fight for what she wants. This book was a sweet and wonderful novel about a girl (Bet) going the extra mile to get what she yearns for most...an education. I got an advanced reading copy of this novel through the Amazon Vine program.
Bet is the daughter of a maid and is being raised along with William who is the son of a lord. William hates school and wants to join the military, Bet wants to go to school more than anything. So they devise a plan, Bet takes Will's place at his new school and Will joins the military.
This is a slim novel and the story isn't maybe as realistic as one would hope, but that being said it is an incredibly sweet story and very fun. Bet is witty and just plain old amusing, I loved her character. William is another wonderful character. And I am sure everyone will get a bit swoony over James, Bet's male roommate. Many of the situations Bet runs into at the boarding school are hilarious and watching her squirm her way out of them is a lot of fun.
This is a story that will make you feel happy when you read it, it doesn't push you mentally and the characters don't go through so much trauma that you cringe. It is an easy read and a fun one. A nice, sweet, romantic historical fiction that I think all ages can get into (although it is definitely aimed at the female set).
I really enjoyed it a lot. My only complaint is that I thought some parts were a bit too positive and unrealistic. All the women who found out Bet's secret were willing to help her out and the way things went with James in the end was a bit too convenient. Still, Bet deserved all the help she got and the niceness of it all made it a joy to read.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It is a quick, fun, sweet read. Bet is a character you have to love and watching her go through her antics was a lot of fun.
Bet is the daughter of a maid and is being raised along with William who is the son of a lord. William hates school and wants to join the military, Bet wants to go to school more than anything. So they devise a plan, Bet takes Will's place at his new school and Will joins the military.
This is a slim novel and the story isn't maybe as realistic as one would hope, but that being said it is an incredibly sweet story and very fun. Bet is witty and just plain old amusing, I loved her character. William is another wonderful character. And I am sure everyone will get a bit swoony over James, Bet's male roommate. Many of the situations Bet runs into at the boarding school are hilarious and watching her squirm her way out of them is a lot of fun.
This is a story that will make you feel happy when you read it, it doesn't push you mentally and the characters don't go through so much trauma that you cringe. It is an easy read and a fun one. A nice, sweet, romantic historical fiction that I think all ages can get into (although it is definitely aimed at the female set).
I really enjoyed it a lot. My only complaint is that I thought some parts were a bit too positive and unrealistic. All the women who found out Bet's secret were willing to help her out and the way things went with James in the end was a bit too convenient. Still, Bet deserved all the help she got and the niceness of it all made it a joy to read.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. It is a quick, fun, sweet read. Bet is a character you have to love and watching her go through her antics was a lot of fun.
