Berts dagbok facts for kids
Revised 1993 edition cover, includes a depiction of the original 1987 edition (albeit defaced)
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| Author | Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson |
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| Original title | Berts dagbok |
| Translator | Kevin Read |
| Illustrator | Sören Olsson |
| Cover artist | Anne Scatto |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Bert |
| Genre | Diary, Children's, Youth |
| Set in | fictional town of Öreskoga, Sweden |
| Published | 1987 |
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Published in English
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2001 |
| ISBN | 0-689-83870-0 |
In Ned's Head is a fun diary novel for young readers. It was originally called Berts dagbok in Swedish. The book was written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and first came out in 1987. It tells the story of a boy named Bert Ljung from January 14 to June 4. During this time, Bert turns 12 years old while he is in the 5th grade.
This book is the very first in the popular Bert Diaries series. Because it was so well-known, the name "Berts dagbok" later became a way to talk about the whole world of Bert's stories. The idea for writing a diary novel came from another Swedish book called "Världshemligt".
The stories in the book were first written in 1986 for a radio show. Bert is just an ordinary Swedish boy, but he has one secret: he writes a diary. He doesn't tell anyone about it. The dates in his diary follow the real calendar from 1987. This book has been shared more widely outside of Sweden than any other Bert book.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
The book starts with a funny warning:
Death to the one who reads this diary in secret. May he burn in the fires of Hell forever... or at least for a short time.
This shows that Bert wants his diary to be a secret!
Bert's Secret Identity
Berts dagbok takes place during the spring school term when Bert is in 5th grade. He goes to Beckaskolan school in Öreskoga. Bert feels a bit embarrassed about his own name. So, he uses a secret identity in his diary: Treb Walker. "Treb" is "Bert" spelled backward, and "Walker" comes from a comic book hero called The Phantom. Bert also writes his own adventure stories about a hero named Kobåj-Kurt. Bert and his friend Åke even made up their own pretend country called "Hoppalotjingien." Later in the book, this country "breaks up" after a "civil war."
Crushes and Friends
When the story begins, Bert has a crush on a girl named Rebecka from class 5B. He even uses a red pencil whenever he writes about her in his diary! But at Bert's 12th birthday party in February, his friend Klimpen plays a trick on him. Klimpen makes Bert accidentally hit Rebecka with a rubber snake, and she gets upset and leaves.
After this, Bert doesn't think much about girls for a while. This leaves more room for other adventures. For example, Åke tries out some funny "experiments" on his little sister, Doris. He even tricks her into drinking a "dishwashing liquid drink." Bert's class 5A also plays a soccer game against class 5B.
Getting Glasses
During this time, Bert's family finds out he has trouble seeing. He gets glasses, but Klimpen teases him about them.
New Love and a Big Secret
Later, in May, there's a school dance. Bert meets Nadja Nilsson from another school, Jungberska skolan, and falls in love with her. His friend Torleif tells Bert that Nadja plays the violin in the same orchestra as him. Torleif also says that Nadja lives near the soccer field with her mom and three brothers.
Bert calls Nadja, but he's too shy to use his own name at first, so he uses Åke's name. Bert's grandmother tells him that if you are kind, you can get wishes from God. So, Bert puts on his best clothes, looks out his window, and wishes to be with Nadja. He thinks a star twinkles back at him!
At the next school dance, Torleif tells Nadja Bert's real name. But Bert and Nadja still agree to meet up.
The End of the School Year
As the 5th grade comes to an end, everyone learns that Klimpen will be moving away to Motala.
In one of Åke's experiments, he accidentally sets fire to the last few pages of Bert's diary! The book ends with Bert and Nadja meeting in the town park on June 4. They carve their initials (NN + BL) into an old oak tree. At the very end, Bert finally tells everyone his real name, Bert Ljung, and says that his secret identity, Treb Walker, is no more.
Book Changes Over Time
The first version of Berts dagbok was illustrated by Sören Olsson. This was the only Bert book he illustrated. Later, in 1993, a new version of the book came out, and it was illustrated by Sonja Härdin.
The 1993 version of the book has more chapters. It was updated to fit better with the later books in the series. For example, it shows how Lill-Erik moves to Bert's town. Also, Emilia Ridderfjell appears in the background, even though her character was first created for a later book. The 1993 version is also the first time Emilia's last name, "Ridderfjell," is mentioned. The updated book also starts with a description of Bert's class, 5A. This is where Bert's teacher's full name, Sonja Ek, is mentioned for the first time. Before that, she was just called "fröken" (which means "Miss").
Bert's Story in Other Media
This book introduced many important parts of Bert's world, like his family, his neighbors, and a famous party. The party scene is very well-known and also appears in the TV series episode "Närkontakt i sjätte klassen" and in the Bert comics.
Lill-Erik's arrival in the class is another famous part of the story, even though it wasn't in the very first version of the book. It appears in both the TV series and the comics. At first, everyone thinks Erik is a tough guy who can beat up Klimpen. They even call him Stor-Erik or Erik the Great.
The story about Bert finding out he needs glasses and getting teased by Klimpen also appears in the TV series episode Den ohyggligt fule. However, the TV show doesn't mention the "bauta bacillus" that was supposed to have caused Bert's eyesight problems in the book.
The 1993 version of the book also includes a school dance with a masquerade. This scene has become famous and is shown in the TV series episode "Min älskling, du är som en tulipan" and in the comics.
The Bert comic album Charmör på danshumör is based on the story from Berts dagbok.
Audiobook Version
In 1991, audio recordings of the book were released on cassette tapes by the Änglatroll company. They were called "Berts dagbok" and "Berts dagbok om Nadja." These tapes don't have much music or songs, except for the opening lines, "Min dagbok, Berts dagbok."
Translated into English
In 2001, the book was translated into English by Kevin Read. It was given the new title In Ned's Head. The English version changed some things to make it more relatable for English-speaking readers. For example, the closing lines became "Bye, Bye Apple Pie." Names like "Nadja" became "Nadia," and "Rebecka" became "Rebecca." Klimpen's name was changed to "Nugget." Also, in the English version, it's Canada that beats the USA in an ice hockey game, while the original Swedish book said Sweden lost to Finland.
