Being Bindy [Library Binding]

Alyssa Brugman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2006

Eighth grade is torture–at least it is for Bindy!
(1) Her best friend since kindergarten becomes her worst enemy.
(2) She’s stuck taking yoga in sports ed, where she unleashes the Very Bad Thing that gets the whole school talking.
(3) She suffers total humiliation when certain unmentionables are tossed around at assembly.
What’s more, Bindy’s divorced parents are behaving badly.
(1) Her laid-back father looks like he’s falling for–could it be?– none other than her ex-best friend’s mother. Which means that . . .
(2) . . . Bindy’s worst enemy might just end up as her sister!
(3) Her domineering mom always wants Bindy to do things her way.
Enough is enough! To survive the drama in her life, Bindy must make some tough decisions in this funny, searching novel about being true to yourself.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6-9–Australian eighth-grader Belinda is in for a very rough time. First, her best friend, Janey, dumps her for a supposedly cool, more mature girl. Janeys new crowd dresses provocatively, smokes pot, and is downright mean. As if the situation werent difficult enough, Bindys father begins to date Janeys mother, and, from this point on, things only get nastier between the two ex-friends. In addition, Bindys relationship with her own mother is strained. Brugmans novel is filled with moments of grief, embarrassment, and humiliation. These experiences mirror those of anyone who has ever felt left out, been bullied, or had to cope with the difficulties of a new family life. But Bindy does have supporters, including her father, her brother, and two new friends. It is these people, and her own realizations about who she is and where she belongs, that allow for her growth and amazing, if not somewhat slightly unrealistic, benevolence at the end of the book. Through straightforward, easily accessible writing, Brugman perfectly captures early teen life and the harsh politics that accompany it.–Tracy Karbel, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. For readers less mature than those targeted in Brugman's Walking Naked and Finding Grace (both 2004), this amiable Australian novel reveals that the minefields of middle-school girlhood are the same the world over. At the start of year eight, Bindy's longtime best friend, Janey, rejects her as "boring and dumb," precipitating a series of schoolyard trials that are complicated by a new romance between Bindy's father and Janey's mother. Though Brugman never portrays Bindy as unappealingly victimized or babyish, she sharply articulates the social upheavals common to the early teen years, incorporating some salty Australian slang ("bitch-breathed, spiteful little slutbucket"). She also authentically explores tensions surrounding divorce, parental dating, and the prospect of blended families. The conclusion feels rushed and unconvincingly rosy, but this will still resonate with readers who--even if they haven't emitted a fart in yoga class--can relate to mortified Bindy's wish to "astrally project to another dimension." Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (April 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385903154
• ISBN-13: 978-0385903158
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,886,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique among novels highlighting early adolescent issues, January 4, 2006

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Being Bindy (Paperback)

Belinda Grubb, called Bindy, doesn't want to face changes; she wants her life to stay as it is with her best frienf Jane Madden, her dad, and brother Kyle. 8th grade starts out to be the ultimate test for Bindy; should she accept Janey's new popular friends and conform to their "cool" habits or stay behind while everything changes around her? Every aspect of her adolescent life changes quickly: her mom seems to care more for her boyfriend than parenting; school becomes unbearable when Janey and Hannah, a rich girl who thinks abbreviations are SVC (so very chic), taunt her for being a baby; and her father and Janey's mother start going out. The stress grows until Being Bindy reaches a climax with Janey passing around Bindy's underwear during a school assembly by Bindy and her brother Kyle. Can the girls get over their differences and remain best friends? Only time will tell when one is in eighth grade.

Alyssa Brugman's Being Bindy is unique among novels highlighting early adolescent issues because of the author's Australian influence and references throughout the novel. This shows how teens around the world are so similar yet have different educational systems. The book is a quick read and enjoyable because of the author's simple style and approach. I doubt Being Bindy will be a best seller, however, because of its similarity to other books aimed at young adolescents such as the Alice books by Phyllis Naylor and because it doesn't seem as captivating as The Princess Diaries for instance. I really liked the Australian references; it was something new and a great exposure to other world societies.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews

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