Niki Lenz’s “Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen” centers its story around the title character, Bernice Buttman, the youngest child of a troublemaking family living in a trailer park in Kansas City, Missouri.
With four older brothers who only care about getting into trouble and a mom who only cares about getting rich and famous, Bernice has learned to take care of herself the only way she knows how: to bully others and lie. .
After discovering that Bernice had raised over $1,000 by creating a fake charity, her mom takes the money and uses it to move to Los Angeles, leaving Bernice with her Aunt Josephine, a nun at a small abbey in Halfway, Mo. At the suggestion of the town librarian, her only friend, Bernice chooses to accept the move to a new town and a new school as an opportunity to change for the better, or to become “New Bernice”.
Halfway through, Bernice almost immediately makes a rival of the school’s two good shoes, Imogen, but also befriends Francie, an energetic but friendly girl in her class, as well as the other nuns of his aunt’s abbey.
After a few hiccups involving New Bernice trying to overcome Old Bernice’s instincts, New Bernice seems to discover the “model citizen” within her and has come to love the Halfway community. Her redemption arc comes to a head when Bernice learns that the abbey will close if she cannot raise $2,500, the exact amount she had tried to raise for herself at the start of the story.
Lenz wrote a really touching and humorous story about what it means to be a good person, as well as what it means to be a family. It’s a great pick for fans of shows like Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid because of Bernice’s hilarious (and sometimes incredibly rude) commentary. Despite the frequent mentions of boogers and farts, Lenz manages to add some moments that really tug at the heartstrings, especially for those who know what it’s like to struggle to change their ways or have complicated relationships with their family. Overall, this book is a wholesome read that anyone from any background can enjoy.
If you need some extra encouragement to read “Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen,” then here it is: The Missouri River Regional Library will be hosting an author event with Niki Lenz from 6-8 p.m. Friday. She will discuss and answer questions about the book, which was nominated for MASL’s Mark Twain Readers’ Choice Award last year.
Lydia Gallagher is a Youth Services Assistant at the Missouri River Regional Library.