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Being Bindy
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.
(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.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
18 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Alyssa Brugman
31 books44 followersAlyssa Brugman was born in Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, Australia in May 1974. She attended five public schools before completing a Marketing Degree at the University of Newcastle.
Alyssa has worked as an after-school tutor for Aboriginal children. She taught management, accounting and marketing at a business college, worked for a home improvements company and then worked in Public Relations before becoming a full-time writer.
Alyssa has worked as an after-school tutor for Aboriginal children. She taught management, accounting and marketing at a business college, worked for a home improvements company and then worked in Public Relations before becoming a full-time writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 10, 2010
I love this book. It's so perfect. I like the author's style. It brings the story to live, and makes the reader never drop the book down. It describes what every girl might pass through in a descriptive way that would not make you feel bored. I like the way the main character didn't go under peer pressure, not even her bestfriend's, and I loved the relationship between her and her father. I recommend this book to every teenage girl. Trust me, you will enjoy it!
June 15, 2011
I liked this book, even a bit more than I expected! It was impossible for me to put this down once I'd started, due both to the lovely writing (Alyssa Brugman is awesome :) and the fact that Bindy had such an authentic, relatable voice.
Here are some things I loved about Being Bindy:
-The movie theater scene! Made me kind of smile, in that "oh gosh, that's happened to me before" kind of way and cringe a little, but because Bindy's friendships often hit close to home, and because James (!) who was undoubtedly a teenage boy, and a little weird, but seemingly ok with said weirdness which always earns a place in my heart, and was very sweet.
-Bindy's dad who was AWESOME. He was embarrassing and funny and did what he loved ;) And he did such a wonderful job of being Bindy and Kyle's dad, because he also knew what to do and if he didn't, he winged it which was amusing and heart-wrenchingly sweet. (I feel like I'm using sweet a lot in this review, but anyhow, going with it...)
-Kyle, Bindy's older brother was FANTASTIC. He had the slightly-protective brother thing NAILED. And that one scene? Where Bindy comes to find him and he lets her stay and watch the soccer team practice rather than force her to go back to lunch just kinda made me go "I want an older brother" something I never thought I'd say, but there you go. I loved Kyle.
-I couldn't get James quite nailed down which was pleasantly, refreshingly frustrating. Love interest? Friend? Sometimes I was swoon-y over him (I loved that he carried around grocery bags rather than backpacks and I adored that he loaned Bindy some sci-fi/fantasy books :) Other times, I was wincing: like, oh my gosh, please don't say that aloud. But he stuck by Bindy and was true to himself (even when he was trying to fit in, sort of?) and so I really liked him. He was interesting, but good interesting not bad interesting.
-More Aussie slang to learn!
-Oh and the reminiscences that Bindy had because they were all so well done (Milk Pig anyone?)
Some things I disliked:
-Janey. (Obviously, I guess. I was supposed to hate her and it WORKED.) I hatehatehate her so much that hatred got all choked up inside of me while I was reading it. Obviously, this was all quite true to what people go through especially in middle school which fiction doesn't acknowledge as often, but a lot of the crap Bindy was going through rang true, especially Janey's character. But I couldn't help but hate her and her new friend, Hannah. (Gah, girls like that just aren't worth it. They just aren't. Hopefully they get better as they get older, but Janey was failure at recognizing that Bindy was a gem which made me furious--I gotcha back, Bindy.)
-
-Bindy's mom. Her mom was portrayed as not being able to care well for Bindy and her brother, but sometimes I just couldn't believe that she was that immature about things. (Who was being the true Milk Pig NOW, huh?) She had major parenting issues.
But aside from that, there was so much I loved about Being Bindy. And I had genuine fun reading it. I actually put aside the new books that came in the mail today to finish this one up (And Lord of the Rings! I was planning on watching Lord of the Rings and I decided to wait SO I COULD FINSIH. If that doesn't say true book love, than I don't know what does :) and I was happy I did, because this book has everything that makes you cringe and swoon during your adolescence and Bindy had a fresh, smart, sophisticated voice that really made the book for me. (I'm making a "heroines i love" list just for her :)
Basically, this book was just plain awesome. Go out and read it now :)
(Thank you Emily for the rec :)
Here are some things I loved about Being Bindy:
-The movie theater scene! Made me kind of smile, in that "oh gosh, that's happened to me before" kind of way and cringe a little, but because Bindy's friendships often hit close to home, and because James (!) who was undoubtedly a teenage boy, and a little weird, but seemingly ok with said weirdness which always earns a place in my heart, and was very sweet.
-Bindy's dad who was AWESOME. He was embarrassing and funny and did what he loved ;) And he did such a wonderful job of being Bindy and Kyle's dad, because he also knew what to do and if he didn't, he winged it which was amusing and heart-wrenchingly sweet. (I feel like I'm using sweet a lot in this review, but anyhow, going with it...)
-Kyle, Bindy's older brother was FANTASTIC. He had the slightly-protective brother thing NAILED. And that one scene? Where Bindy comes to find him and he lets her stay and watch the soccer team practice rather than force her to go back to lunch just kinda made me go "I want an older brother" something I never thought I'd say, but there you go. I loved Kyle.
-I couldn't get James quite nailed down which was pleasantly, refreshingly frustrating. Love interest? Friend? Sometimes I was swoon-y over him (I loved that he carried around grocery bags rather than backpacks and I adored that he loaned Bindy some sci-fi/fantasy books :) Other times, I was wincing: like, oh my gosh, please don't say that aloud. But he stuck by Bindy and was true to himself (even when he was trying to fit in, sort of?) and so I really liked him. He was interesting, but good interesting not bad interesting.
-More Aussie slang to learn!
-Oh and the reminiscences that Bindy had because they were all so well done (Milk Pig anyone?)
Some things I disliked:
-Janey. (Obviously, I guess. I was supposed to hate her and it WORKED.) I hatehatehate her so much that hatred got all choked up inside of me while I was reading it. Obviously, this was all quite true to what people go through especially in middle school which fiction doesn't acknowledge as often, but a lot of the crap Bindy was going through rang true, especially Janey's character. But I couldn't help but hate her and her new friend, Hannah. (Gah, girls like that just aren't worth it. They just aren't. Hopefully they get better as they get older, but Janey was failure at recognizing that Bindy was a gem which made me furious--I gotcha back, Bindy.)
-
-Bindy's mom. Her mom was portrayed as not being able to care well for Bindy and her brother, but sometimes I just couldn't believe that she was that immature about things. (Who was being the true Milk Pig NOW, huh?) She had major parenting issues.
But aside from that, there was so much I loved about Being Bindy. And I had genuine fun reading it. I actually put aside the new books that came in the mail today to finish this one up (And Lord of the Rings! I was planning on watching Lord of the Rings and I decided to wait SO I COULD FINSIH. If that doesn't say true book love, than I don't know what does :) and I was happy I did, because this book has everything that makes you cringe and swoon during your adolescence and Bindy had a fresh, smart, sophisticated voice that really made the book for me. (I'm making a "heroines i love" list just for her :)
Basically, this book was just plain awesome. Go out and read it now :)
(Thank you Emily for the rec :)
March 6, 2009
I love Alyssa Brugman's sense of humour, it's so quirky. This was hilarious, but also very true to life and interesting. It's the sort of book you'd recommend to adolescents because it kind of shows them that life can be horrendously embarrassing and unpredictable and just AWFUL sometimes, but that things can still turn out ok if you keep your wits about you and maintain a sense of humour. Reminded me a bit of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series, but Australian.
February 21, 2011
it is ok- but the whole smoking and bad things seemed too old for a bunch of eighth graders.
July 21, 2010
15 year-old Belinda Grubb (also know as Bindy) has been life-long friends with Jane Madden (aka Janey). But then it all starts to go off the rails when Janey changes. And Bindy doesn't like those changes. Janie has started to become interested in clothes, boys, while Bindy continues to be her usual immature self, watching cartoons all day. Bindy would prefer it for things to stay as they were, but unfortunately we don't always get what we want.
Bindy doesn't know what to do when she has to face the 'initiation' to prove that she is cool enough to hang around with Janey and her new 'popular' friends. Everything in Bindy's life is changing rapidly, into a blur, her mother seeming act protective around her new boyfriend, and trying to bribe Bindy off with new things; her school life becoming hopelessly unbearable; and the ultimate humiliation, as well as the fact that Janey and Hannah are constantly talking in abbreviations such as SVC - So Very Chic - without telling her anything, and then Bindy's dad is suddenly developing a fondness for Janey's mother.
Will the two girls be able to forget their silliness and become friends again with nothing (this time) standing in their way, or will their own stupid decisions get the better of them?
The basic structure for this was quite interesting but at times I thought it was a bit boring when there was a bit too much detail in one scene. I would recommend this book to younger teenagers especially and definite fans of Judy Blume will really enjoy this! Also, I liked Brugman's sense of humour; it showed that she wasn't afraid of her characters' embarrassments and it was hilarious, but also very true to life and interesting.
Bindy doesn't know what to do when she has to face the 'initiation' to prove that she is cool enough to hang around with Janey and her new 'popular' friends. Everything in Bindy's life is changing rapidly, into a blur, her mother seeming act protective around her new boyfriend, and trying to bribe Bindy off with new things; her school life becoming hopelessly unbearable; and the ultimate humiliation, as well as the fact that Janey and Hannah are constantly talking in abbreviations such as SVC - So Very Chic - without telling her anything, and then Bindy's dad is suddenly developing a fondness for Janey's mother.
Will the two girls be able to forget their silliness and become friends again with nothing (this time) standing in their way, or will their own stupid decisions get the better of them?
The basic structure for this was quite interesting but at times I thought it was a bit boring when there was a bit too much detail in one scene. I would recommend this book to younger teenagers especially and definite fans of Judy Blume will really enjoy this! Also, I liked Brugman's sense of humour; it showed that she wasn't afraid of her characters' embarrassments and it was hilarious, but also very true to life and interesting.
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June 19, 2014this book was great i, it was emotional and funny and quite embarrassing
June 5, 2023
rated: 3 stars
this is a piece of middle-grade fiction that ive had on my shelf since i was in middle school, having taken it out of the free books box in the library. its so distinctly early 2000s australian in its voice, but is so heavy handed with the life lessons that the novel wants the reader to take out of it. bindy stays true to herself the entire book, never wavering in the face of ostracisation, bullying and peer pressure. she says no to drugs when offered. she doesn't let a boy kiss her when she doesn't want it. it deeply gives the energy of a book that would be studied in an english class for no other reason than at the end of this book everything works out, so the middle schoolers reading it should take away the message that if they do the same and stay true to themselves there is no problem they can't overcome.
and thats the reason i think that middle school me liked this book so much. bindy, the constant victim placed in the middle of every fight, triumphing at the end and being validated in her choices. as someone now who is more critical, the ending was super rushed and really had no visible consequences for the active bullying that bindy went through and then seemingly got over quite quickly. but thats what middle-grade fiction is all about, wrapping up stories perfectly to give happy endings. and it was sure nice to go down memory lane a bit with this read as well.
this is a piece of middle-grade fiction that ive had on my shelf since i was in middle school, having taken it out of the free books box in the library. its so distinctly early 2000s australian in its voice, but is so heavy handed with the life lessons that the novel wants the reader to take out of it. bindy stays true to herself the entire book, never wavering in the face of ostracisation, bullying and peer pressure. she says no to drugs when offered. she doesn't let a boy kiss her when she doesn't want it. it deeply gives the energy of a book that would be studied in an english class for no other reason than at the end of this book everything works out, so the middle schoolers reading it should take away the message that if they do the same and stay true to themselves there is no problem they can't overcome.
and thats the reason i think that middle school me liked this book so much. bindy, the constant victim placed in the middle of every fight, triumphing at the end and being validated in her choices. as someone now who is more critical, the ending was super rushed and really had no visible consequences for the active bullying that bindy went through and then seemingly got over quite quickly. but thats what middle-grade fiction is all about, wrapping up stories perfectly to give happy endings. and it was sure nice to go down memory lane a bit with this read as well.
October 9, 2020
I really liked this book when I was younger, looking back it definitely wasn't the best book I have ever read but I liked the way that divorce was approached and written about. I could see this being helpful and comforting to kids that have divorced parents.
April 28, 2018
One of the best books I have ever read.
September 11, 2016
This is an enjoyable, rightfully light-hearted story about Bindy, who is in the 8th grade. Her parents are separated and her mother visits Bindy on the weekends. Bindy's best friend is Janey, but Janey becomes s friends with a group of girls who don't mean well. Therefore, Janey turns on Bindy, and does cruel things like destroying her room and disfiguring a much-loved poster of Bindy's, and that was how the story began.
The story features Bindy a seemingly an innocent girl, who She faces extreme social problems within and out of school. Bindy is thrown into a mess of truly discovering who she is and meeting new friends. Throughout the novel, I noted that Bindy had an uncanny passion in the use of acronyms. It was as if she had a desire to show her intricate personality in an attempt to seem ‘cool'. As the book neared the end, she developed a more mature personality and had stopped using these acronyms. She learns to deal with pain and surviving an unintentional form of social suicide by farting.
Throughout the book the other main character Janey shows hideous behaviour and holds a party with her clique in Bindy's room while she's away staying with her mother, The misfortune somehow gets even worse than that, though, while it turns out that Janey, Hannah and her crowd of girls obtained some of Bindy's underwear and to Bindy's absolute horror and embarrassment pass the lot of them around throughout a school gathering. Janey's ignorant, immature, and rude being never seems to see the consequent of her actions and is forever trying to find crueller things to do to bindy.
As the characters are about our age and live in a world similar to ours, it is easy to relate to most of the situations and people in the book. One character that is easy to connect to another is James. James is an awkward boy who wants to date Bindy or, at least, get a kiss. I can compare James to Rudy from The Book Thief, who tries to earn affection from Liesl. Another relatable character is Clara. Clara usually hangs out with Hannah, but when Hannah chooses Janey over her, Clara is quietly excluded. Our group all can either relate to this first hand or have witnessed this. One of the most relatable situations would be when Janey loses her new best friend Hannah. Although Hannah was a bad influence, she still took away the part of Janey – The newly discovered ‘cool girl' attitude. Living here in Hong Kong, we can all recall losing a best friend, whom we may have only become friends with for a semester.
With a lot of relatable scenes, the story is quite vivid. One of the parts that are easiest for a reader to visualise is the part when certain items of Bindy's are passed around at an assembly. For an audience like us, it is easy to see the assembly hall, the people and the way that Bindy sees the whole thing. Another part that is easy to visualise is when James is overly enthusiastic when going in for a kiss from Bindy. This part was very funny for us and stuck in our heads.
In conclusion, it was a really easy, fun read. At some parts (most) of the book, it was quite a cliché but still worth reading. It is a drama that was mad to be funny and will have you giggling the whole way through and wondering why these girls are so immature and stupid. Overall it is a great read for people who enjoy comedy-dramas and may be a disappointment for those who love lovey-Dovey-drama stories. Join Bindy in her epic and spontaneous journey in the thrilling life of High School.
If I was to rate this book an 8/10 as I really enjoyed it. It was an easy book to read and fun too. Although this was the reason that Alyssa did not like this book it was the reason that I did, it was the most cliché book I have read my entire life! And the amount of things that were overly coincidental was ridiculous but that's what makes it funny, you will not be able to stop yourself laughing. Overall I believe this book is a great read though I would only suggest this book to people Who are happy with a laid-back book, girls as I don't think any of the boys would understand its comedy, and I believe this book was a little old for me so I would suggest it to 12-year-olds and older. This is also a warning for people like Alyssa, who don't enjoy clichés, or prefer deeper books.
The story features Bindy a seemingly an innocent girl, who She faces extreme social problems within and out of school. Bindy is thrown into a mess of truly discovering who she is and meeting new friends. Throughout the novel, I noted that Bindy had an uncanny passion in the use of acronyms. It was as if she had a desire to show her intricate personality in an attempt to seem ‘cool'. As the book neared the end, she developed a more mature personality and had stopped using these acronyms. She learns to deal with pain and surviving an unintentional form of social suicide by farting.
Throughout the book the other main character Janey shows hideous behaviour and holds a party with her clique in Bindy's room while she's away staying with her mother, The misfortune somehow gets even worse than that, though, while it turns out that Janey, Hannah and her crowd of girls obtained some of Bindy's underwear and to Bindy's absolute horror and embarrassment pass the lot of them around throughout a school gathering. Janey's ignorant, immature, and rude being never seems to see the consequent of her actions and is forever trying to find crueller things to do to bindy.
As the characters are about our age and live in a world similar to ours, it is easy to relate to most of the situations and people in the book. One character that is easy to connect to another is James. James is an awkward boy who wants to date Bindy or, at least, get a kiss. I can compare James to Rudy from The Book Thief, who tries to earn affection from Liesl. Another relatable character is Clara. Clara usually hangs out with Hannah, but when Hannah chooses Janey over her, Clara is quietly excluded. Our group all can either relate to this first hand or have witnessed this. One of the most relatable situations would be when Janey loses her new best friend Hannah. Although Hannah was a bad influence, she still took away the part of Janey – The newly discovered ‘cool girl' attitude. Living here in Hong Kong, we can all recall losing a best friend, whom we may have only become friends with for a semester.
With a lot of relatable scenes, the story is quite vivid. One of the parts that are easiest for a reader to visualise is the part when certain items of Bindy's are passed around at an assembly. For an audience like us, it is easy to see the assembly hall, the people and the way that Bindy sees the whole thing. Another part that is easy to visualise is when James is overly enthusiastic when going in for a kiss from Bindy. This part was very funny for us and stuck in our heads.
In conclusion, it was a really easy, fun read. At some parts (most) of the book, it was quite a cliché but still worth reading. It is a drama that was mad to be funny and will have you giggling the whole way through and wondering why these girls are so immature and stupid. Overall it is a great read for people who enjoy comedy-dramas and may be a disappointment for those who love lovey-Dovey-drama stories. Join Bindy in her epic and spontaneous journey in the thrilling life of High School.
If I was to rate this book an 8/10 as I really enjoyed it. It was an easy book to read and fun too. Although this was the reason that Alyssa did not like this book it was the reason that I did, it was the most cliché book I have read my entire life! And the amount of things that were overly coincidental was ridiculous but that's what makes it funny, you will not be able to stop yourself laughing. Overall I believe this book is a great read though I would only suggest this book to people Who are happy with a laid-back book, girls as I don't think any of the boys would understand its comedy, and I believe this book was a little old for me so I would suggest it to 12-year-olds and older. This is also a warning for people like Alyssa, who don't enjoy clichés, or prefer deeper books.
February 19, 2017
I found this little gem while shelving at work. I was reading another book at the time but once I started reading this the other book was abandoned. Bindy is a wonderful character, very realistic, a little immature but stands up for herself when she needs to.
Bindy and Janey have been friends forever until Janey starts getting in with the wrong crowd and becoming friends with Hannah. She tries to get Bindy to be more like Hannah but Bindy stands her ground. Soon the girls drift apart until Janey's mum and Bindy's dad get together. Oh and not forgetting her weird relationship with her mother who left them and is living with another man!
I really liked this book even though at times Bindy was really immature and a bit mean to her parents which I found very annoying and had to stop reading for a bit. I think her dad was really well written; fair but the kids knew not to mess with him and step out of line. In contrast Bindy's mother was a little neurotic and tried too hard, but she did put Bindy in her place when she was being a brat.
It isn't really an original story by any means and there are many other books that confront these issues but I think that it is definitely one of the better ones out there.
Bindy and Janey have been friends forever until Janey starts getting in with the wrong crowd and becoming friends with Hannah. She tries to get Bindy to be more like Hannah but Bindy stands her ground. Soon the girls drift apart until Janey's mum and Bindy's dad get together. Oh and not forgetting her weird relationship with her mother who left them and is living with another man!
I really liked this book even though at times Bindy was really immature and a bit mean to her parents which I found very annoying and had to stop reading for a bit. I think her dad was really well written; fair but the kids knew not to mess with him and step out of line. In contrast Bindy's mother was a little neurotic and tried too hard, but she did put Bindy in her place when she was being a brat.
It isn't really an original story by any means and there are many other books that confront these issues but I think that it is definitely one of the better ones out there.
February 10, 2016
This is a nice, fairly lightweight story about Bindy, who is in the 7th grade. Her parents are divorced and her mother has visitation with Bindy on weekends, but they don't get along very well.
Bindy's best friend is Janey, but Janey falls in with a group of girls and turns on Bindy, tricking her into a makeover and setting her up for an unplanned date. While at the movie Bindy sees her mother with another man.
Bindy gets more and more shut out by Janey and the group of girls she run's with. Bindy's mother is quite nasty to her, and worse yet Bindy and Janey find out that Bindy's father and Janey's mother (who is divorced) have had sex.
This forces Janey and Bindy to try to work out some plan to keep their parents apart since they definitely don't want to live with each other. Later it becomes apparent that Janey is now into drinking and even smokes marijuana.
Things get even worse when Janey has a party with her group in Bindy's room while she's away with her mother, trashing her room and defacing a favorite poster of hers. The trouble gets even nastier than that, though, when it turns out that the group of girls have taken some of Bindy's panties and throw them around during a school assembly.
The confrontation was inevitable, and in the principals office the principal tries to get to the bottom of things. The pressure on Bindy doesn't let up, as her mother wants her to move in with her and her new boyfriend; Bindy finds out the majority of the money supporting them comes from her mother and pretty much the entire school is now just waiting to jump Janey and the group of girl's she hangs with over the panties episode.
Bindy has to find some way, then, to deal with her mother, her father, her former best friend, her new friend, a would-be sort-of suitor at school and her brother at home. It's quite a challenge for the young girl, to say the least.
A good book, at times funny, at times upsetting. Worth reading.
Bindy's best friend is Janey, but Janey falls in with a group of girls and turns on Bindy, tricking her into a makeover and setting her up for an unplanned date. While at the movie Bindy sees her mother with another man.
Bindy gets more and more shut out by Janey and the group of girls she run's with. Bindy's mother is quite nasty to her, and worse yet Bindy and Janey find out that Bindy's father and Janey's mother (who is divorced) have had sex.
This forces Janey and Bindy to try to work out some plan to keep their parents apart since they definitely don't want to live with each other. Later it becomes apparent that Janey is now into drinking and even smokes marijuana.
Things get even worse when Janey has a party with her group in Bindy's room while she's away with her mother, trashing her room and defacing a favorite poster of hers. The trouble gets even nastier than that, though, when it turns out that the group of girls have taken some of Bindy's panties and throw them around during a school assembly.
The confrontation was inevitable, and in the principals office the principal tries to get to the bottom of things. The pressure on Bindy doesn't let up, as her mother wants her to move in with her and her new boyfriend; Bindy finds out the majority of the money supporting them comes from her mother and pretty much the entire school is now just waiting to jump Janey and the group of girl's she hangs with over the panties episode.
Bindy has to find some way, then, to deal with her mother, her father, her former best friend, her new friend, a would-be sort-of suitor at school and her brother at home. It's quite a challenge for the young girl, to say the least.
A good book, at times funny, at times upsetting. Worth reading.
January 31, 2008
Being Bindy by Author Alyssa Brugman is a realistic fiction story about a girl named Bindy whose life has been anything but perfect. Her parents are divorced, her mother never really cares for her, Janey, her best friend since her early childhood has now dumped her for a more popular crowd, and her father is dating her ex best friends mother, so Janey and Bindy could possibly become sisters! Pretty much the plot of the story is about Bindy and the life that she doesn't like.
I thought the plot was interesting but at times I got kind of bored with the story because there would be so many details about one certain scene. Also, I liked this book because anyone can relate to this story because the story has teen issues and answers to some of them as well. I rated this book three stars because it wasn't the best book I have ever read but it was okay. Like I said before the plot got boring at times. I would recommend this book to teenagers especially because of the teen drama in it and how teens can relate to it.
I thought the plot was interesting but at times I got kind of bored with the story because there would be so many details about one certain scene. Also, I liked this book because anyone can relate to this story because the story has teen issues and answers to some of them as well. I rated this book three stars because it wasn't the best book I have ever read but it was okay. Like I said before the plot got boring at times. I would recommend this book to teenagers especially because of the teen drama in it and how teens can relate to it.
May 11, 2015
I think this is a good book so far i am only on page 77 so I do not know if i will like the whole book.I would suggest this book for teen or preteens only.
I have now read up to page 81 and i am liking this book even more it has hooked me in with the story line and the the author has put lots of adjectives to make it even more interesting.I still recommend this book for teen or preteen.
I am now on page 138 and i still enjoy this book very much i would read this again.it is hooking me in more every chapter .I would recommend this book to people and i think teens or pre-teens would enjoy this book.
I have now read up to page 81 and i am liking this book even more it has hooked me in with the story line and the the author has put lots of adjectives to make it even more interesting.I still recommend this book for teen or preteen.
I am now on page 138 and i still enjoy this book very much i would read this again.it is hooking me in more every chapter .I would recommend this book to people and i think teens or pre-teens would enjoy this book.
November 29, 2007
Lifelong best friends Janie and Belinda, aka “Bindy” have parted ways because Janie has become interested in clothes and boys and Bindy still wants to watch cartoons. What starts as a minor disagreement turns into a full blown war. Just when things couldn’t get worse, Janie’s mother and Bindy’s father start dating – and it turns serious. Bindy has to do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn’t get Janie as a stepsister. Red flags: VERY mild sexual references – and the cute Australian slang takes the edge off. Age 12+ Read-alikes Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
September 8, 2011
Bindy and her best friend Janey are entering high school, but Janey soons drops Bindy to start hanging out with a new crowd. A new and meaner crowd. Soon, Janey and her friends are tormenting Bindy. And, to make things worse, her dad starts dating Janey's mom. Somehow Bindy manages to find a place for herself and survive her freshman year. I really liked the end of this one a lot!! If you want to know why, read it and ask me.
April 11, 2012
I totally loved this book! It's about a girl name Belinda, and her best friend, Janey. When Janey starts to hangout with other girls and "changes", Belinda feels so bad. The different Janey starts to ruin Belinda's school life, and worst of all, she might stuck being sister with her! Belinda is in the middle of all the difficulties, and will she ever figure her way out? Anyways, this book was so good, and I recommend it to all girls in middle school!
April 20, 2008
Being bindy is a book about a young girl who has problems with her family, mainly her mum and dad, but at the moment she was also having problems with her best friend Janey. towards the end of the story, they sort out their problems and become friends again and everything goes back to normal.
i would recommend this book to anyone that likes dramatic and funny stories.
i would recommend this book to anyone that likes dramatic and funny stories.
August 20, 2011
Oh, Bindy Bindy Bindy. You are so infuriating! Your life is so infuriating! The decisions you make - infuriating!
Anyway, I was invested for the whole novel, even though the ending was ... YOU GUESSED IT! Infuriating. I guess I would have liked to have been shown a certain character's big comearound instead of just being told about it.
Anyway, I was invested for the whole novel, even though the ending was ... YOU GUESSED IT! Infuriating. I guess I would have liked to have been shown a certain character's big comearound instead of just being told about it.
September 15, 2018
Class Text for Year 7 English. These kids weren't even born when this book was written. But it still seems so relevant.
Yay to universal themes of friendship and family. Yay to author for staying away from slang and pop culture references that might be out-dated (although there is a mention of Britney vs. Jessica).
Yay to universal themes of friendship and family. Yay to author for staying away from slang and pop culture references that might be out-dated (although there is a mention of Britney vs. Jessica).
December 23, 2007
Of course - the BEST book ever written!! O.K. it's definitely not the best book ever written, but it really does exist and I really did read it!!! (plus, if it really was about "Being Bindy," it would take years to write and even longer to read!!)
September 27, 2008
THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! THIS BOOK TALKS ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS OF BEING A TEEN!!!!! LIKE WHEN YOUR FRIENDS GET NEW ONES YOU GET A CRUSH AND YOUR BEST FRIEND GOES OUT WITH HIM!!!!!!!!! AND YOUR BFF GETS DRUNK OR YOUR BFF IS BECOMING A SLUT!!!!!!
September 19, 2009
I identified with Bindy very much: the whistle-fart while she's doing yoga has to be the moment I decided this was a great book. Not that I fart a lot, just that Brugman wasn't afraid to give her character embarrassing moments. Her reactions were completely me.
February 24, 2011
I think that if you like diary kind of stories that tells you about someone's life this would be a great book for you. The age group I think would be around Grade 7 or Grade 8. I have not copleated this book fully yet but I am getting to the end.
couldnt-finish
November 24, 2009Incredibly boring, and the characterisation is terrible.
July 8, 2008
ok...so i didnt even read past the 6th chapter cuz this book started giving me the willies. i guess i just didnt like it enuf to keep going
July 1, 2008
This book takes place in Australia, I think. Some stuff is a little bit odd, like their way of saying different grades, but overall, it's a great book.
March 30, 2009
Girls can be mean.
September 24, 2009
just staarted it but it still is rly good!!
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