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Boyfriend Rules of Good Behavior
While trying to cope with a new town, new school, and new friends, Millie's emotional state is further compromised when she discovers the remnants of her mother's date the night before and begins to worry that this new distraction may be just the thing that sends her over the edge of reason.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2005
3 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Bateson
19 books16 followersCatherine Bateson has won the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers twice and received three Honour Book Awards, including one for Older Readers. She teaches in the Professional Writing and Editing course at TAFE but is also available for school visits, to talk about both fiction writing and poetry.
Where were you born?
I was born in Sydney, but grew up in Brisbane where my mother owned a secondhand bookshop.
What other jobs have you had?
I’ve been an incredibly bad waitress, but otherwise my work has all been within the arts and education sphere.
What themes are recurring in your work?
The theme of family is strong in my work – the families we make ourselves, rather than are born into. I put this down to being an only child – and also my father’s death when I was nine.
What have been the highlights of your career?
Without doubt, the highlights have been winning CBCA awards and the Queensland Premier’s Children’s Book Award. Having my third collection of poetry published in an environment that is financially hostile to poetry is also a highlight.
http://bookedout.com.au/find-a-speake...
Where were you born?
I was born in Sydney, but grew up in Brisbane where my mother owned a secondhand bookshop.
What other jobs have you had?
I’ve been an incredibly bad waitress, but otherwise my work has all been within the arts and education sphere.
What themes are recurring in your work?
The theme of family is strong in my work – the families we make ourselves, rather than are born into. I put this down to being an only child – and also my father’s death when I was nine.
What have been the highlights of your career?
Without doubt, the highlights have been winning CBCA awards and the Queensland Premier’s Children’s Book Award. Having my third collection of poetry published in an environment that is financially hostile to poetry is also a highlight.
http://bookedout.com.au/find-a-speake...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 21, 2011
One of the best books I have ever read.seriously. I read it twice, and I never read books twice. Unless, like this book, it was so good I wanted to read it again. To be embraced in it's perfection again.
July 12, 2020
liked this book alot.
August 23, 2010
Bateson, C. (2005). The boyfriend rules of good behavior. New York, NY: Holiday House. 181 p. $16.95 hardcover.
GENRE: Fiction, realistic fiction.
SUMMARY: Aside from not being able to see her dad Patrick very much, Millie's life was going just fine. She lived with her Mum, her Mum's best friend Sheri, and Sheri's son Mitchell, who all got along very well. Then Millie's life started to shift. Sheri and Mitchell moved in with Sheri's new boyfriend, a man that did neither she nor her Mum liked. Then her Mum got a new job and they moved, making Millie the new kid in school, where she was deemed a 'singleton'. After a school weekend outing, things again began looking up for Millie, who found a group of friends and developed her first crush on a boy. Now she just needed to determine if her Mum has her first boyfriend since the divorce, and what he's like if so. Oh, and there is the matter of her big school project.
EVALUATION: I liked how Millie's lists, thoughts and emails are interspersed in a tween-handwriting style throughout the book. Millie is surrounded by some adult situations (single mothers newly dating and dealing with jobs and bills), and this helps keep the book grounded as a tween title. I also liked how Millie bonded with her Mum's boyfriend during a week that her Mum was out of town.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: I would highly recommend this for tween girls of living with their single mothers, though it can certainly be enjoyed by a broader range of tweens. The relationships between a number of the characters are very strong and tight, and tweens could learn how to react when these bonds change or become tested.
READER'S ANNOTATION: Millie has plenty to deal with: trying to make friends at her new school, coping with her first crush, and getting to know her mother's boyfriend.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• You Don't Know Me by David Klass.
GENRE: Fiction, realistic fiction.
SUMMARY: Aside from not being able to see her dad Patrick very much, Millie's life was going just fine. She lived with her Mum, her Mum's best friend Sheri, and Sheri's son Mitchell, who all got along very well. Then Millie's life started to shift. Sheri and Mitchell moved in with Sheri's new boyfriend, a man that did neither she nor her Mum liked. Then her Mum got a new job and they moved, making Millie the new kid in school, where she was deemed a 'singleton'. After a school weekend outing, things again began looking up for Millie, who found a group of friends and developed her first crush on a boy. Now she just needed to determine if her Mum has her first boyfriend since the divorce, and what he's like if so. Oh, and there is the matter of her big school project.
EVALUATION: I liked how Millie's lists, thoughts and emails are interspersed in a tween-handwriting style throughout the book. Millie is surrounded by some adult situations (single mothers newly dating and dealing with jobs and bills), and this helps keep the book grounded as a tween title. I also liked how Millie bonded with her Mum's boyfriend during a week that her Mum was out of town.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: I would highly recommend this for tween girls of living with their single mothers, though it can certainly be enjoyed by a broader range of tweens. The relationships between a number of the characters are very strong and tight, and tweens could learn how to react when these bonds change or become tested.
READER'S ANNOTATION: Millie has plenty to deal with: trying to make friends at her new school, coping with her first crush, and getting to know her mother's boyfriend.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• You Don't Know Me by David Klass.
January 21, 2012
FIRST IMPRESSION:
The title suggests there is going to be a lot of beauty in this book. Which immediately makes me think it's going to be a heart-warming story. Also, I have a friend called Millie, so it's more reason to pick it up!
WRITING STYLE:
I loved the writing style with the beauty, but it was a little long. Some of the sentences were too long for my liking.
PLOT:
The plot was slow-moving, yes, but I understand how much it influences the entire book. It wouldn't be as good without the slow-moving plot. And also, it made me laugh, a little sad at sometimes, and made me think, "Wow, this is a good book!"
CHARACTERS:
I love Millie and her thoughts. And I love her personality, her interesting personality. I also love how hard-working she is, despite leaving her projects to the last minute. She puts effort in what she does. Oh, and I love how she didn't end up with her crush like in most books.
OVERALL:
A book I'd recommend to anybody who's in the mood for a light-hearted read, full of beauty. But I wouldn't recommend it to teenagers -just middle school/primary students.
AMOUNT OF STARS:
3
The title suggests there is going to be a lot of beauty in this book. Which immediately makes me think it's going to be a heart-warming story. Also, I have a friend called Millie, so it's more reason to pick it up!
WRITING STYLE:
I loved the writing style with the beauty, but it was a little long. Some of the sentences were too long for my liking.
PLOT:
The plot was slow-moving, yes, but I understand how much it influences the entire book. It wouldn't be as good without the slow-moving plot. And also, it made me laugh, a little sad at sometimes, and made me think, "Wow, this is a good book!"
CHARACTERS:
I love Millie and her thoughts. And I love her personality, her interesting personality. I also love how hard-working she is, despite leaving her projects to the last minute. She puts effort in what she does. Oh, and I love how she didn't end up with her crush like in most books.
OVERALL:
A book I'd recommend to anybody who's in the mood for a light-hearted read, full of beauty. But I wouldn't recommend it to teenagers -just middle school/primary students.
AMOUNT OF STARS:
3
June 4, 2024
Another book that I read for the 2023 Readers Cup Competition, that my school is part of.
I must say this was one of the best books on the must-read list so far.
I would highly recommend it to lovers of YA, romance, comedy and photography.
I must say this was one of the best books on the must-read list so far.
I would highly recommend it to lovers of YA, romance, comedy and photography.
August 26, 2010
ok book. can't really remember much of it now though.
October 8, 2010
Millie And the Night Heron by Catherine Bateson (2005)
Read
February 15, 2011I love this boom I am reading it now
May 10, 2011
ITw asn't overly impressive but I did enjoy it quite a bit! Although, I think the author could have used actual quotation marks in stead of 's when the characters were talking.
October 13, 2011
I find it rally confusing at the beginning, and it's gets hard to understand after a while
March 8, 2012
Review to come?
December 1, 2012
a light hearted and whimiscal read, it's short, but full of beauty and wisdom. my new favourite book!
July 9, 2013
I thought this novel was very good and was a book which i very much enjoyed.
September 17, 2013
It is a grreat book! I think Young adults would enjoy it.
January 4, 2015
A gentle plot with some beautiful imagery. A good balance of teenaged and adult characters, which exist in the book - as they do in reality - in the one world, and are not separate.
February 9, 2016
An enjoyable family, friendship and fitting in drama, great for ages 8-12.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews