I’ve had this on my TBR bookshelf for years and finally treated myself to reading #9 of this charming series. I’ve read five others in this (currently) 15-book 44 Scotland Street series and it is just as satisfying and amusing as all of Alexander McCall Smith’s books. In other words, you can’t go wrong if you choose to read this.

One caution is that, even though you can read this as a stand-alone, doing so will generate your TBR list as you’ll want to seek out all of them to return to the ups and downs of the characters. As the title implies, this book features newly turned 7-year-old Bertie, and his domineering mother; Cyril the dog, who is often tempted by ankles; warm-hearted Big Lou and her cozy coffee shop; and self-absorbed (and self-styled) playboy Bruce. These are just a few of the characters and storylines included.

The novel is told episodically, with each chapter focusing on a specific character or group of characters. The characters often know each other so it’s especially entertaining when the stories overlap. And as the title indicates, Bertie and his family are featured in this novel. The best part is McCall Smith’s excellent writing style: engaging, charming, clever, with subtle humor and wit. I highly recommend everything written by this amazingly talented author. ( )

One storyline, at least, was totally unexpected. No spoilers, but what an absolute bonkers thing to do with Irene, the worst mother in the world...I love it. ( )

Oh Irene! Let Bertie have a pocket knife already! ( )

When a little boy's best birthday present is not just that his mother leaves for Dubai for several days but that she is kidnapped while she's there, you've got to feel for the kid. And so you do in Alexander McCall Smith's “Bertie Guide to Life and Mothers” (2013).

About a third of the way into the novel McCall Smith throws in a line that will be humorous only to regular readers of his 44 Scotland Street series of novels: "His seventh year, it seemed to him, had lasted a remarkably long time and there were points at which he frankly wondered whether he would ever turn seven."

Bertie Pollack had been six years old since the first novel in the series in 2005. That's eight novels and eight years by the time this one was published. The author joked about Bertie staying stuck at six when I heard him speak in Clearwater a year or two before this book.

So finally turning seven is a big deal for Bertie, as it is for readers of this series. These books follow the lives of several characters, yet Bertie has been the fan favorite. We tend to tolerate the other characters so we can get past them to read about Bertie and his oppressive mother, Irene. A progressive feminist with a will of iron, Irene wants to raise Bertie in a gender-neutral world. She frowns on typical boy toys and activities, insists there be girls at his birthday party and takes him to see a shrink, which he may actually need by the time she is through with him. He wants a Swiss Army knife for his birthday. Instead she gets him a Junior UN Peacekeeping Kit and a doll.

But then Irene wins a vacation for one to Dubai where, well, a string of delightful complications ensue. It all but proves that there is a God. Bertie, meanwhile, has the time of his life.

As for the other characters, Pat finds love, as does her father; Antonia returns to visit Angus and Dominica, bringing along a nun who has a way of stating the obvious while making it sound like wisdom; Matthew and Elspeth's au pair gets her own au pair; and Big Lou becomes a foster mom. All this is interesting enough, but let's get back to Bertie. ( )

In his ninth edition of the 44 Scotland Street novels, Bertie is finally going to turn seven. But before he can celebrate this momentous event, several things must be overcome – not the least of which is his mother. Bertie dreams of going to Cub Scout camp and getting a Swiss Army penknife. Instead, his politically correct mother gives him a gamer of Royal Weddings and a gender neutral doll.

Luckily for Bertie (and his long-suffering father, Stuart), his mother wins an all expense paid trip to Dubai where, through a series of unfortunate events, she is kidnapped by a local sheik and held hostage in his harem. When the Foreign Office informs Stuart that his wife may be gone for several months while her release is being negotiated, Stuart and Bertie make the best of things by going to Cub Scout Camp and having a wonderful birthday party with the rest of the Scotland Street residents.

Meanwhile, Matthew and Elsbeth discover that they are purchasing their dream home from the Duke of Johannesburg, Pat McGregor falls in love, and Bruce has an extremely unfortunate experience in the waxing salon.

Reading each edition in this series is like catching up with old friends. I hope this series goes on forever. ( )