Me in the Middle

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Me in the Middle is a light, amusing fantasy featuring Isabel Miranda,
about 11 or so, who comes to be “inhabited” by both her
great-grandmother and her great-granddaughter.

During a cleaning spree, Isabel’s mother uncovers some old
photographs, one of which is an image of Isabel’s great-grandmother,
Bisa Bea, as a girl about Isabel’s age. When Isabel asks to take the
picture to school, her mother consents but tells her not to lose the
photo—which, of course, Isabel does. To cover the loss, Isabel creates
a story in which she says that Bisa Bea “is truly alive inside me.”
Her fabrication becomes truth as her late 18th-/early 19th-century
ancestor begins to talk to her, sharing not only information about Bisa
Bea’s time period but also advice on how young ladies should
behave—counsel that frequently conflicts with contemporary
conventions. Isabel’s life becomes further complicated when a new
voice emerges, that of Nieta Beta, her future great-granddaughter, who
often proffers advice contrary to that of Bisa Bea, leaving Isabel stuck
in the middle. Eventually, Isabel, who has reached the age of being
interested in boys, realizes that she must discover who she is while
recognizing that she is, in part, a product of her past while also a
contributor to what the future will be for her descendants. While a
gentle read, Me in the Middle, which is set in Brazil, may confuse
readers in its closing chapter with its passing references to Brazil’s
harsh political conditions. Recommended.