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Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream

Brief Description
Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream is the 18th book in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith. "It's like ice cream, Mr Flynn," Bertie continued. "When you have ice cream, you need to eat it straight away, otherwise it... Read More
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Book 18 in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith

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Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream is the 18th book in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith.

"It's like ice cream, Mr Flynn," Bertie continued. "When you have ice cream, you need to eat it straight away, otherwise it melts. If there are people who haven't got any, you should share it, if you can."

When despair for the world grows, Bertie's theory of ice cream reminds us that it's the simple pleasures in life that we should hold onto. Everyone's favourite seven-year-old has a lot to put up with: at home, Irene is planning lessons on Irish culture for Bertie; at school, he is forced to join Olive and Pansy's book group, and during a day out with his best friend, Ranald Braveheart Macpherson, the boys find themselves unexpectedly invited to a wedding.

Meanwhile, Bruce's latest property venture goes horribly wrong after he tries to move a flat's front door to give it a more prestigious address. At Nine Mile Burn, Matthew and the triplets try to adopt an unwillingly-vegan dog. Sister Maria-Fiori dei Fiore Montagna discovers the missing part of the Stone of Scone in Drummond Place Gardens.

Filled with Alexander McCall Smith's trademark warmth and humour, this latest book in the series is a must-read.

Series: 44 Scotland Street

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  • 44 Scotland Street
    Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian. Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees...
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  • A Promise of Ankles
    Book 14 in the delightful 44 Scotland Street series, by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith At the bottom of a sharply descending streetβ€”in the topographical senseβ€”in Edinburgh's Georgian New Town, new residents have moved in to number 44 Scotland Street, joining the already well-known and much-loved denizens of that remarkable building. They appear to be a bit of a...
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    As summer blooms in Edinburgh's gardens and Bertie Pollock's birthday appears on the horizon, all at 44 Scotland Street is not cake and sunshine. Newlywed Angus Lordie has been booked by his bride into what he must not call the loony bin; Bruce's first encounter with hot wax brings more anguish than he bargained for; and Bertie's birthday dreams of...
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  • Love in the Time of Bertie
    The latest in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series from the worldwide bestselling author, Alexander McCall Smith. Life for Bertie seems to be moving at a pace that is rather out of his control. Upstairs, at 44 Scotland Street, his father Stuart is powerless to stop overbearing Irene and her determination that Bertie will travel to deepest, coldest Aberdeen...
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  • The Importance Of Being Seven
    Despite inhabiting a great city renowned for its impeccable restraint, the extended family of 44 Scotland Street is trembling on the brink of reckless self-indulgence. Matthew and Elspeth receive startlingβ€”and expensiveβ€”news on a visit to the Infirmary, Angus and Domenica are contemplating an Italian mΓ©nage Γ  trois, and even Big Lou is overheard discussing cosmetic surgery. But when Bertie Pollockβ€”six...
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  • The Revolving Door of Life
    For seven-year-old Bertie Pollock, life in Edinburgh's most celebrated fictional street has just got immeasurably better. The enforced absence of his endlessly pushy mother Ireneβ€”currently consciousness-raising in a Bedouin harem (don't ask)β€”has manifold and immediate blessings: no psychotherapy, no Italian lessons, and no yoga classes. Bliss. For Scotland Street's grown-ups, life throws up some new dilemmas. Matthew makes a discovery...
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  • The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee
    Book 17 in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith Glasgow for Bertie is the promised land. The city of pies and Irn Bru, far from his controlling mother, Irene - his place of escape. But how will he respond to the news of the proposed merging of Edinburgh and Glasgow? A new...
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  • The Stellar Debut of Galactica MacFee
    Glasgow for Bertie is the promised land. The city of pies and Irn Bru, far from his controlling mother, Ireneβ€”his place of escape. But how will he respond to the news of the proposed merging of Edinburgh and Glasgow? A new member of Bertie's class at school is causing ripples in his social circle. She is called Galactica MacFee and...
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  • The Unbearable Lightness Of Scones
    To the casual observer, the great enlightened city of Edinburgh, home of no-nonsense philosophers and cream teas, might appear immune to the rollercoaster of strong emotions. But at 44 Scotland Street, as Matthew and Elspeth embark on the risky enterprise of married love, the raffish portrait painter Angus Lordie has a premonition of disaster. And soon enough, Irene Pollock is...
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  • The Peppermint Tea Chronicles
    The Peppermint Tea Chronicles is the thirteenth book in the delightful 44 Scotland Street series, by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith. It is summer in Scotland Street (as it always is), and for the habituΓ©s of Edinburgh's favourite street, some extraordinary adventures lie in waiting. For the impossibly vain Bruce Andersonβ€”he of the clove-scented hair gelβ€”it may finally be...
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  • Love Over Scotland
    Love Over Scotland is the third in this series and revolves around the many colourful characters that come and go at No. 44 Scotland Street. McCall Smith handles the characters with his customary charm and deftness: the stalwart Tory chartered surveyor, the pushy mother and, most importantly in this novel, the Italian-speaking prodigy, Bertie.
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  • Bertie Plays The Blues
    Even down to its well-set Georgian townhouses, Edinburgh is a hymn to measure and harmony. But on Scotland Street, domestic accord is in short supply. Matthew and Elspeth welcome three new arrivals, though the joys of multiple parenthood are somewhat lost due to sleep deprivation and the difficulties of telling their brood apart. Angus and Domenica are to marry, and...
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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349147925

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 July 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Abacus

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of over one hundred books on a wide array of subjects, including the award-winning The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. He is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. His books have been translated into forty-six languages. Alexander McCall Smith is Professor Emeritus of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh and holds honorary doctorates from thirteen universities. He was knighted by the King in 2024.

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