The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted was a very good read. I read the whole book in one sitting. This story takes places sometime in the 1800's. The narrator of the story, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a maid. When her mother died along with the master and mistress of the house from typhoid fever, she and their son, Will were taken in by his wealthy uncle, Paul and raised together until they got older. At that point, Paul's relatives were apalled at how he was raising the two children as equals when clearly they were not. Will was sent off to one school after another, while Elizabeth was left home where she lived not as a servant, but not as a member of the family either.
When Will comes home after being kicked out of school for the fourth time, Elizabeth gets upset at him. It has always been her dream to go to school and receive an education, and Will's had the opportunity his whole life and has just thrown it away. Will admits it's because what he really wants is to go join the military, but his uncle doesn't approve. Elizabeth, or Bet as Will calls her, comes up with a plan that can help them both do what they want. She convinces Will to help her "become a boy" so she can go to school as him, leaving him free to go join the military. He agrees to her crazy plan and helps her learn how to walk and talk like a boy as well as how to dress and write like a boy. Finally, it's time for her to go start school. The two head off to live their dreams, both not really knowing what they're getting themselves into.
Bet is shocked by what she finds at school. She has had an extremely sheltered life at Will's uncle's house and is totally unprepared for bullies, attractive roommates, and school dances, but she is determined to learn as much as she can while she has the chance for an education. Bet finds it harder sometimes than she thought it would be to hide the fact that she's a girl, but she finds friends she can trust with her secret in unexpected places who agree with her that girls should be able to have an opportunity to gain an education.
The one big problem I had with this book was that it wasn't long enough. It seems to rush through certain parts of the story where there could be some more details and added character building to get to the end of the story. Also, at the end of the book, it simply ends right after revealing some major secrets that were kept hidden throughout the entire book. The ending is decent, but it leaves the reader with a lot to guess at. The reader just has to assume that certain things happen or will happen in the story. But, overall, it's a good read.
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