The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie [Hardcover]

Jaclyn Moriarty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

PERFECT. adj. 1. being entirely without fault or defect: flawless. 2. Bindy Mackenzie, student at Ashbury High. 3. Jaci Moriarty's murderously funny follow-up to THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS.

Bindy Mackenzie is the smartest girl at Ashbury High. She memorizes class outlines to help her teachers. She holds lunchtime therapy sessions for her fellow students. She is always kind, polite, and helpful. And she wears crazy nail polish to show she's a free spirit.
But something is missing. And at the first session of the Friendship and Development Project, Bindy's worst suspicions are confirmed.
Nobody likes her.
Suddenly things begin to unravel. Bindy fails an exam. She can't sleep. She snaps at the principal. And she gets obsessed with the word "Cincinnati." (cont.)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Through her diary, memos, letters, e-mails, etc., readers get to know this humorously unlikable, holier-than-thou perfectionist. The twist is that Bindy is being slowly murdered! It's easy to miss that detail, though, as the story focuses on her growth away from over-judging others, specifically her seven fellow Year 11 students in her "Friendship and Development" course at their Australian private school. Forgetting the murder thing-which Moriarty mostly does for 450 pages of this tome-this is an enjoyable, well-paced read with an emotional delicacy weaving through the light humor of Bindy's egocentricity. After Bindy's growth, however, the author postpones the denouement to tie the remaining loose threads up in an action-packed murder-mystery ending, utterly changing the book's tone. Moriarty's fans will miss the fully fleshed-out supporting characters of her earlier novels, but Bindy is a perversely engaging protagonist.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Moriarty follows The Year of Secret Assignments (2004) with another uproarious novel written entirely in diary entries, school assignments, transcripts, and other inventive formats. Once again the setting is Ashbury High, in Sydney, Australia, and Bindy Mackenzie, who had a pivotal cameo in Assignments, returns as the central character. Brilliant, precocious Bindy (who wrote in her diary at age 10, "I've been struggling a bit with Ulysses by James Joyce") is frustrated when her gestures of kindness toward fellow students go unappreciated. Her aggressive resistance to a new required course, Friendship and Development, sharply alienates a group of her fellow classmates, whom she nicknames the Venomous Six. But as she gradually gains self-awareness, it's these students, along with a dreamy transfer student, Finnegan, who embrace, support, and even save her. An additional crime plot is absurdly, gleefully flimsy and preposterous. It's the wild balancing act of shifting formats; the truths about family, school, and social pressures; and Bindy's unforgettable, earnest, hilariously high-strung voice that will capture and hold eager readers. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; First Edition. 1 in number line edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439740517
• ISBN-13: 978-0439740517
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bindy sure is.... Different., August 22, 2009

By 

Joy - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (Ashbury/Brookfield Books) (Paperback)

I have never read a teen novel with SUCH great characterization! I'm used to blah characters that somehow get into serious situations, like in a Sarah Dessen book. (Which I enjoy, but it gets boring.)
I can't exactly relate to Bindy, but it's always interesting to get into the head of an outcast.
Bindy is at the top of her class, as urged by her father, and is working herself to death(!), just trying to stay on top.
But because of her academic excellence and 'better-than-thou' persona, people don't understand her in the least... She's just so strange!
Her actions are ridiculous sometimes, but you can't help, well, not wanting her dead!
This book is so much different from anything out there, I definitely recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't give up, April 3, 2009

By 

Brent A. Mckim "daughter, 14 years" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (Ashbury/Brookfield Books) (Paperback)

I was extremely excited for Moriarty's new book after reading The Year of Secret Assignments so I practically dove into this one. It has a great plot, but it just takes a while to get to it. I literally couldn't put it down when I did get to it, though.

The character of Bindy Mackenzie is an outsider to her own age group. She provides unique insight as to how teenagers today. I saw reflections of myself in some of her character descriptions.

Bindy is very hard to relate to, but she can be understood after you get to know her. I think this is why the plot takes so long to unfold-there's no way that it would hold the same meaning if you didn't get where Bindy was coming from.

My advice is this: Don't give up on it because of its slow beginning. The plot has you on the edge of your seat when it comes your way... Trust me!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, July 23, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie (Ashbury/Brookfield Books) (Paperback)

Bindy Mackenzie--student extraordinaire and perfectionist--is the heroine in this follow up novel to Moriarty's Feeling Sorry for Celia and The Year of Secret Assignments. Bindy is thrown when she is placed in FAD--Friendship and Development class. It doesn't make any sense! Who would rip away her study period so thoughtlessly? And what could she possibly learn from the other students in her class? But could Bindy actually be so perfect that someone wants to kill her? And if so, the only people who can figure out who the perp is in time are the classmates that Bindy underestimated and alienated.

Laugh-out loud funny, Moriarty doesn't disappoint. Full of her trademark intricate plot twists, quick wit, and told entirely in transcripts, journal entries, and letters, this novel gives a perfectly honest portrayal of teen life life that is appropriate for even younger readers. Bindy Mackenzie will keep you guessing.