Binny for Short

Binny #1

by Hilary McKay

Binny's life has been hard since her father died and her old Aunt Violet disposed of her beloved dog, Max. Her world changed then, to a flat with her Mum, her sister and her brother. Then one day Aunt Violet dies, leaving a cottage in Cornwall to Binny and her family. Binny finds herself in a new world once more, full of sunshine.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Friendship, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Hilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home."

After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.

One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them

Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.

Reviews

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5, but only because my expectations for new Hilary McKay books are *ridiculously* high by now.

So far behind on writing up books read that I won't say much about this, but will note that it's a family book, like The Exiles & Casson Family series, and as usual, reading as a parent will cause you some anxiety, right along with your love of the kids. (And parent(s).) McKay protags manage to get themselves into some physical danger in a perfectly-reasonable-to-them manner, that delights and terrifies at once.

The beginning startled me, as Binny's father died when she was eight, and had been twenty years older than her mother, and my father died when I was seven (but it was only when I was in my forties that a friend pointed out that I hadn't actually been eight) and he was twenty years older than my mother. Also Binny's father owned a bookshop and was a storyteller, and my dad was a writer. Other than that, no resemblance at all, as I was nothing like Binny, and my father didn't leave unexpected debts behind him.

That irrelevant personal rambling over with, the book was occasionally difficult to read, but in a good way. Binny's hatred for her Aunt Violet is completely understandable, and yet the adult reader can also see behind her high-handed insensitivity, to Binny's elderly, somewhat frail grandmother's perspective, completely overwhelmed as she was by an excitable, out-of-control dog. It was a horrible situation for everyone concerned, and there was only a slightly more bearable solution possible: if she'd TOLD Binny that she really had given Max to a real, loving family, Binny wouldn't have had the worry that he'd been put down or abandoned. McKay is absolutely fantastic at depicting really sad family situations that are "okay" because you know that all the members of the family really love each other. And you're also cracking up at regular intervals too. (James! Not only James, but -- James!!)

It was also very hard seeing the sideways glimpses we were given of Gareth's father's girlfriend and how incredibly hurtful Gareth's open hostility must have been to her. Right from the first mention of her, it's pretty clear that she won't be able to win with Gareth and I found his acting out very painful. It works really well having him and Binny in an antagonistic kind of friendship (they're not quite the enemies she claims they are), and once Clem sees how he's behaving she calls him on it immediately, so we're not in any kind of doubt about the narrative's take on his behaviour. At the same time, he's not completely unsympathetic because of the very obvious fact that his father isn't helping him deal with his distress in any helpful way and he clearly needs help.

When the big reveal happens, my first thought was that it was kind of coincidental, but second take was that it's nothing like that really, but it is part of the pattern of the story that emerges once the story unfolds. Which pulls in what's said in the first short section, "The Rock Pools", about the pattern that's woven of days and that led Binny (and Gareth) to that revelation. This is just truly wonderful storytelling.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with total pleasure - mingled with total envy. Oh, at every page, I wished so hard that I had written it!

I love McKay's characters and their families. I love the way she tells stories. And I think this is her very strongest book yet.

Binny is stubborn, blinkered, fiery, and WONDERFUL. Her younger brother James made me laugh out loud again and again. Her oldest sister Clem was fabulous without ever being unrealistically perfect. Their seaside town was so vivid, I could imagine I was there - and I wished I really was.

I read the book faster and faster, both anticipating and dreading the end...which turned out to be just exactly right.

Now I'm going to re-read it again and again.

LOVE.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/7/15
Reread in anticipation of the sequel, which is currently winging its way to me from the UK. Or more, precisely, gently paddling towards me (sea mail). Two years is really too short a time between readings, but yet I'd forgotten how hard-edged (by McKay's standards anyway, not the general public's) this story sometimes is. Binny and her frenemy, Gareth, sometimes behave badly because they're both, for different reasons, angry and sad. It's not always comfortable reading. I wasn't sure if this would remain a five star book for me, but oh, the ending packs a punch, and makes everything shift, kaleidoscope like. It's wonderful, one of her best books.


4/15/13
Hilary McKay is the one and only author whose books I buy (or ask someone to buy for my birthday) new, in hardcover, the moment they come out. This one did not disappoint. It's a typically Hilary McKay story (eccentric characters making wry remarks and getting themselves into astonishingly funny situations), but it's more bittersweet than usual. More unusually for one of McKay's books, it has maps on the end papers, something which always seems to make even a dull book worth reading.

Now I have to figure out how to cram my new copy into that row of hardcovers which is starting to take up a whole shelf.

The British edition, which is far, far, more attractive than the as yet unreleased American one (featuring Binny with a sideways football, Dora the Explorer-style head) can be ordered with free worldwide shipping at:

http://www.bookdepository.com/Binny-f...

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been on something of a Hilary McKay binge lately, I suppose, but I couldn't resist the call of this book this evening. As is usual for McKay's novels, I didn't stop until I had finished some hours later.

Like the Casson books, this one centers on the life of an off-kilter family struggling to find their way through difficulties largely of their own making. Unlike the Cassons, I wasn't nearly as charmed by the antics of some of the family and friends. I didn't appreciate James (the youngest family member at 6) at all. I thought he was awful; a spoiled, budding sociopath I found entirely grating. It's probably the father in me coming out, but I couldn't help wanting to reach out and give him some... guidance...

And Gareth wasn't much better. Yeah, he's 12(ish--I don't think the novel actually says) and dealing with the intrusion of "the other woman" into his time with his father, but he is also unrelentingly awful to both of them--painfully so. He's saved, somewhat, by the glimpses we have of his vulnerability and simple, raw, need, but it's a close thing for his story.

Binny was a delight, though, and I liked Clem, too and their mother. Odd, that, now I think on it. Logically I should hold the mom more responsible for James than I apparently do. Weird. Anyway, I liked their story very much, even Binny's irrational attachment to the long-gone Max (her dog that was simply too much in their reduced circumstances) was endearing when it could easily have been merely irrational. Binny is McKay at her best--a 12 year-old with 12 year-old problems, perspectives, and solutions that pull you completely into her world even as you can observe its limitations and pitfalls. McKay is as generous as she is unsparing in her portraits of adolescence and it was thoroughly enjoyable experiencing her world for a time.

Add a couple laugh-myself-silly moments and you have a highly entertaining read, even if I had some reservations or idiosyncratic pain-points. This came in at a 3.5 edging to a four, for me, that I'll happily round up in appreciation for a couple good guffaws...

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, I love Hilary McKay. Her books make me giggle. They make my husband giggle. It's her unusual, frisky way of putting things that always gets me. The youngest child in the family, James, is described as "portable", and the other family members take advantage of the fact when he's being a pest. Here's a sentence that I couldn't stop laughing about, when 11-year old Binny has had just about enough of James.

Binny picked up James, turned him upside down, and lowered him gently into the trash can.

One word in that sentence makes all the difference. That's how a lot of her humor sneaks up on you.
Even though he's not the title character, 6-year-old James gets all the best lines, going through life on his own, oddball plane, making comments about Binny getting into "one of her states" and greeting his all-female family members with "Hello, don't kiss me."
There's an interesting family dynamic with the Cornwallis clan, and the story of their settling into the first house they've lived in since the father died is a sweet one, with just a little mystery to add suspense.
Binny is shockingly harsh and disrespectful to her Aunt Violet at the beginning, and there's no tidy resolution or chance for apology, since Aunty Violet dies before Binny knows the whole story about Max and a few very tough realities are touched on in the book, but McKay manages it with grace, compassion and humor.
I can't recommend this author enough. May she write many more books with quirky characters, sweet relationships, and a treatment of the English language reminiscent of P.G. Wodehouse.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should have written this up when I read it, but I didn't. I love Hilary McKay's books, so this was just more of the same--great characters, funny stories, a happy ending that isn't perfect. Even so, I think I like Binny in Secret better. The thing with the dog just irritated me, that it was SUCH a HUGE COINCIDENCE. And it irritated me even though I knew it was coming because I read Binny in Secret first. It didn't ruin the book for me, but it came close.

[The Library Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this a 5 because I think The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, which has been cooed over by so many, is the most overrated attempt at an "old fashioned family story" I have ever read. This book,on the other hand, is a delightful read with a family that feels real, unlike Birdsall's phoney baloney characters.

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on Hilary's Exiles series, and it's wonderful to come back to her writing and find her just as good as ever. The family dynamics in her books are so well-observed and hilarious, and this first book about Binny and her family is just wonderful. (8+)

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. Thank you!*

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to write about family, I think sometimes. It's a thing that a lot of people do for families, in their odd and pained and viciously real shapes, are part of all our lives and they are something which remain intensely personal. You have secret words, shared histories, internal jokes that nobody, despite however hard they try, may ever fully understand. And you can't ever understand theirs, even if you understand the full shade of their humour, cut from their life, you may never fully see the shadows in that.

It's hard to write about family but I think, perhaps, that Hilary McKay is superlative in how she does it. There's nobody quite like McKay in how she catches that oddly loving and vibrant family dynamic, the way that you love-hate-love your siblings and hate them again, all in the same breath. And there's nobody quite like McKay who swings you from laughter, through to a rush of love for the entire world, through to catching your breath with tears and wanting everything to just be alright and okay and for them to make their way through this.

McKay is a joy, pure and simple, and in Binny for Short she's on fine and almost masterful form. The titular Binny (Belinda - Bin, Bel, Binny for short) is a fiery and rather lovely creation. She's stubborn and grumpy and resolutely of herself. Her childhood is rather idyllic and lovely but following the death of her father, everything changes. Her beloved dog, Max, is given away due to the machinations of Binny's hated Auntie Violet. Things rise to a head between Binny and Auntie Violet at a funeral, and following a series of unfortunate events (TM Lemony Snicket) Binny is left with Auntie Violet's home by the sea.

The idea of a home by the sea is something that's been explored in children's literature before; the wild and entrancing 'otherness' of the seaside will remain eternally glorious but I think here, coupled with Binny's frenemy Gareth(I loathe that expression but it rather fits her initial encounters with him), her wide-eyed love of the gorgeous Liam and of her love of her new world in general, McKay has created something rather ridiculously lovely.

This book is rich story-telling, ridiculously so, and it is full of life and it is almost a joy to read and I want more, please, for I am greedy for work like this.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binny’s life had been perfect but now she lost two of the most important things she ever had. First, her father died, taking his stories along with him. Then, because money became an issue, Binny’s dog had to be given away. Her dog was taken by her mean Aunty Violet, who never told anyone where Max had been sent. So when Binny found herself alone in a car with her Aunt, she told her exactly what she thought. Aunty Violet died soon after that conversation and left Binny and her family her old cottage by the sea, a tiny house but one of their very own. Now Binny finds herself in an idyllic seaside town, meeting great new friends and even better enemies, but still missing Max. Binny though is not a girl to easily give up, so she sets about planning to find her dog, no matter what.

I am such a fan of McKay and her writing. She has a natural flow both in her narrative and in the very real voices that all of her characters use with one another. Additionally, her characters are all flawed and realistically drawn which adds greatly to the veracity of her books. In the end, her books are filled with human beings who live in messy ways through their messy lives, beautifully.

Each member of Binny’s family is worthy of their own novel. Her older sister is glamorous and musical, yet works incredibly hard to afford the necessary lessons to be a musician. She is also as much a parent as their lovely but scattered mother. It is James though, her little brother, who completely steals the book. As he wears a wetsuit that he found in the trash every day that is pink and green, he has to prove that he’s a boy often, which of course means undressing in public. He is also growing poison lettuce in his window box from stolen seeds that just happened to find their way into his pocket. In other words, he’s a delight.

Strong characters and splendid writing result in a virtuoso start to a new series that will have McKay fans cheering for more. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly, Binny for Short is a lovable mess, with amazing writing and terrible parenting. And then the mess sorts itself out very neatly. It's a great reading experience, but I'm left with niggling concerns.

First, the lack of discipline while James was being James and Binny was being Binny is anxiety-inducing. It's meant to be funny - especially the way certain recurring circumstances are used as running jokes - but it left me feeling kind of sour, in a will-no-one-tell-these-kids-to-STOP way. (I feel sympathetic for Aunt Violet. I need a moment to process that.)

Second, sure, this is a book for kids, but it's also clearly a book for adults, with material that could be wrenching were it not hidden in the background and easily overlooked. And yet since that material was glossed over with headlong story, and then things resolved themselves perfectly in the end, the novel reached for life's messiness and also dismissed it at the same time. It's too contained, too well-plotted, too deliberate, to actually resemble real life.

Overall: definitely worth a read for the fabulous prose and meticulous storytelling, niggling concerns aside.

[Jannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was deliciously fun and filled with weird and wonderful people. A perfect middle grade slice of life book by one of my favourite authors.

Belinda "Binny for Short" misses her dog Max. When her father dies and her family cant afford to keep Max, he's sent to her granny. Unfortunately he's too much for granny and her sister Aunty Violet decides he needs to be rehomed. Horrible Aunty Violet. Binny hates Violet, and misses Max terribly. Clem, her older sister has her flute lessons, James her younger brother "only six - used as an excuse for his misbehaviour" is busy with his poisonous plants and homemade farm, and their worried tired mother don't miss Max much because he was rather a noisy bouncy shouty bitey dog. And they miss Dad more. Binny misses Dad too.. But Max was taken away from her without her knowledge by horrible Aunty Violet from Spain, who always smokes and thinks children are unnecessary expenses.

Would I get Max back if I fought  Aunty Violet? wondered Binny, nearly asleep in bed that night. Would it work?
It would be like fighting a stone, thought Binny.

So when Granny dies and Binny is stuck with Aunty Violet at the funeral she gives her a piece of her mind.

"I can’t bear you.  You should be dead, not Granny. Dead. In a coffin. I wish you were.  And I’d be glad."

And Aunty Violet dies soon after. And leaves Binny her house in England by the seaside.

I have been asked to state, remarked the lawyer who wrote the letter, that this change to the will of Miss Violet Cornwallis was made after her recent conversation with her niece Belinda, to whom she sends her particular regards.

(as if reaching back from the dead).

They decide to move in but still, Binny firmly believes that this is Aunt Violet haunting her, and keeps having nightmares.
Their family soon adapt to their new lovely sunny seaside life with new jobs and friends and enemies too!
Theres gorgeous Liam, who owns a tourist boat to see seals and lets Binny be a "crew" member. There's Kate, Clem's new best friend who owns a cafe and is a very good listener. There's the old ladies home where mum works and they have chickens which is something James wants very much for his farm. There's the house now lovely once painted up, Binny's treehouse (a surfboard tied to the tree with a rope, "perfectly comfortable" Binny declares) and theres Gareth. Her next door neighbour who she doesnt have to be nice to and certainly isnt nice to her. Her enemy who she can play with by "I dare yous", who hates his stepmother and is never happy.

But all the the back of her mind, Binny is worried about Aunt Violet.. And Max. Will she ever get him back?

The story is very funny and Hilary McKay has a talent for creating zany domestic families filled with warmth and this followed through.

The one niggle I have is the prologue before every chapter or whatever you call it, that serves to describe what leads to the ending is a bit confusing and jarring at first. But it made sense the further along the story went.

Overall very much recommended. I read the illustrated ebook and also a borrowed copy from the library (they actually have english books I want to read yay!)
5/5

[Emma]

Read this for my class on children's lit. I loved this book!! It was so cute and the younger characters are written so realistically.

[Debbie Gascoyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! I don't know why I don't give it 5 stars - it would be 4 1/2 if we could do that - but perhaps it's not _quite_ as good as one or two in the Casson family series. But few books make me laugh out loud, and this one did (James and the seagull? priceless. James, generally?? Absolutely priceless). Perhaps everything was just a little too easily wrapped up at the end, but, you know, any real criticism would be just niggling. No other author I have read demonstrates quite such a keen observation of the completely self-centered, doggedly stubborn, but charming behavior of children. And she captures the exasperated affection of family life so well, in such a brilliantly understated way (see, again, James and the seagull).

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hilariously quirky but solidly well knit family from McKay--this one consisting of middle child Binny, her ethereal looking but calm and practical teenaged sister Clem, her force of nature little brother James and their widowed mother. Thanks largely to Binny's outstanding ability to hold a certain grudge for years she and her family inherit a small seaside cottage from an equally cantankerous relative, and Binny goes on to become inseparable enemies with Gareth, the surly lad next door.

Among the many money lines: "'DUMPED! Me! By Gareth! We're not even friends!' 'You can dump your enemies too,' said James."

(In the kitchen after a particularly eventful night) "James fell asleep before his egg could be eaten, pillowed at the table upon a slice of buttered toast."

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains what I love most about Hilary McKay's books -- she really captures what children feel -- the anxiety, the fears, the imagination, the joy, the noticing of the little details, the irrationality of it all -- and expresses it so directly and with such understanding. Binny (short for Belinda) is no exception -- she's another charming and oh so very real character. Her family, as usual with McKay, is a bit offbeat, and after her father dies really struggle to survive. Binny's awful Aunt Violet has given away her beloved puppy Max, which is an event that Binny never gets over. In the end, it is the power of story (she loved the stories her father told) that saves her and a friend/enemy and leads to her finding Max again.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS GREAT. I love how McKay writes families in general and siblings in particular. (Just had the sudden wish she'd write from the perspective of the older sister sometime. Maybe it's because I'm an oldest sister myself, but those are the ones I fall for.) (Well, The Exiles had that, I suppose, but they were all so close in age that the effect was different.)

So yeah. This was a solid four stars until the end, when everything was tied together in such a great, not heavy handed way. And I was SO nervous about how the dog storyline would turn out. I need pets and pet owners to be okay. But it was all great!

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilary McKay will forever be a favorite for me just because of the way she bumps words up next to each other.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Binny is strong willed and daring. She is opinionated and a bit stubborn. She is sure when everyone else believes she is wrong. That sometimes makes life difficult in the best of times, even more challenging.

Benny's story gives readers a lot to think about - what happens when families meet challenges, how can you be a friend, how do you remain true to yourself and show care and respect for others?

I wasn't sure what I thought at first, but now I'm very glad there are at least 2 more books that I can read to learn more of how Binny deals with the complexities of a "normal" life.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like the characters with mouthy, angry attitudes one minute who then flip from crazy to nice? I call it the Dr Jekyll teenage years. Meet Binny. She's angry, imaginative, vulnerable, sassy, hot-tempered, daring, and funny. Not as funny as her younger brother, James, who likes to charm old ladies, wants to be a farmer, wears a hot pink and green wetsuit around town stripping it off in public when someone questions his gender, and pees on the backyard fence like a flood level marker. Even though he sometimes sounds to old for a six-year-old I guarantee you'll get a laugh from his shenanigans at some point. He's balanced by his sister, Clem, and Mom who are practically perfect.

Gareth, the next door boy is like Binny. He's angry. While Binny is angry over the tragic death of her dad and her aunt who gave away her dog, Gareth is angry over his parents divorce and dad's girlfriend. Binny and Gareth don't pretend to be nice to each other. They are too self-centered and angry to be friends. But then a funny thing happens. They start to do things together and act like they like each other. A friendship blossoms, but don't ask them to confirm it. They'll deny that they are anything but enemies.

I struggled a bit with these eleven-year-old kids. The characters weren't quite right. When Binny is mouthing off in an incredibly rude way to her aunt I could understand because the aunt was rude back. However, when she sasses Gareth's dad and then mocks him it was too extreme for me. Yes, I could see her yelling at a parent, sibling, or relative, but Binny had never met Gareth's dad. I didn't think Binny's character was that out there or rotten. She also experiments with cigarettes, but knows they are bad and tells her mom that she'll never touch them again. You don't usually read about eleven-year-olds smoking.

The plot was straightforward and unpredictable in what the kids were doing. They have some kid-like adventures that are fun and daring. Perhaps that's why I couldn't buy the whole cigarette, anger, and nasty back-talking. It didn't seem to fit them. The author tries to show Binny as a roller coaster drama queen, but it didn't always work for me. The flashbacks were confusing and clunky. At first I thought they were her dreaming or having nightmares. Then I wondered if they were a metaphor or symbol of Binny's journey from anger to acceptance, but that didn't make sense as the story progressed. Once I realized they were flashbacks I was a bit annoyed that I didn't understand that from the get-go. They didn't work in with the storyline smoothly.

The characters are interesting but sometimes they seem too out-of-character. Take Binny's mom. Wouldn't she have said something to her Aunt Violet when she got rid of Max? It is explained at the end that she couldn't deal with it at the time and while I could buy that, I thought it was forcing the plot a bit. Not only did I think her mom would not have let that happen, but Clem, who is responsible and protective of Binny, would not have let it happen either. Of course, it had to happen because the overall point of the novel is Binny is trying to locate what happened to her dog. I just think the story hinges on a weak point.

In the end, I'm not really sure who the audience is for this book. It's entertaining but the characters vacillate from acting or sounding too old to too young. I thought James was older at the start then at the end. It wasn't until he was described as sucking his fingers that I realized I had him way to old. He's also described in his physical appearance way too late in the book. He's a stitch and toward the end reminded me of Batty in the "Penderwicks" who runs around with batwings. James runs around in a wetsuit and garnered the most laughs of all the characters for me. Binny seems young and kind at times and old and snobby at other times. Sometimes she's tough and other times she's vulnerable. It's hard to capture this age and for the most part the author does just that. An entertaining story.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

It's a new Hilary McKay novel!!! That is really as long as this review needs to be right? It should be. But alas, some of you may not know about the wonderful Hilary McKay so I'll tell you a bit more. Binny for Short is wonderful, a terrific read for summer, or anytime you need a little summer in your life.

Anyone who has read McKay before will feel comfortable within the pages of this book. It is so nice to start a story, sit back, and know your in the hands of an author you can trust. Those unfamiliar with McKay are in for a treat as they discover the wonderful characters she creates and the stories she builds around them. Binny's story starts out pretty dire. Her father has died, her dog has been moved to parts unknown, and nothing is as it was. Binny is haunted by the hole her missing dog left in her life. She is haunted by how much less she can remember her father than her dog. She believes she is being literally haunted by her mean Aunt Violet who has left them her house. Binny is so delightfully 11, and I say that without any sarcasm. Gareth, whose family owns the house next door, becomes her instant frenemy. He is oh so obnoxious, doesn't like anything, and yet you can't help but want to hug him. He and Binny have some great adventures.


As always in true McKay style this is a perfect sibling story. Clem, Binny's older sister, and James, her crazy younger brother, play large roles and their personalities take up just as much space as Binny's. Their mother is stressed and overworked so the kids have to work together to help her out and take of each other.


The seaside village where the family moves is wonderful too. McKay brought it to life in so many wonderful ways. One can almost smell the salty fishy air and feel the sea breeze as one reads. Everything about the place, from the quaint diner to the tourist robbing seal boat to the seals themselves, give the reader a definite sense of place.


And can I also say, while trying to avoid outright spoilers, in a world where so many MG books feature tragically dead dogs this is a nice breath of fresh air.


I read an e-galley received from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss. Binny for Short will be available for purchase on July 23.

[Gabrielle Schwabauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this book for the third time, all I really wanted was to step through the pages and live in a little seaside town, to stand by the ocean as the wind whips up droplets of water and to ride out on a seal boat and to go biking up the craggy coast and to roast marshmallows over a backyard fire surrounded by overgrown green and to scrub down the floorboards of an ancient house and then sleep in the room I'd been scrubbing. The details are just so vivid. McKay's voice, as always, is flawless, and her characters come alive. (James wins the aware for Best Younger Sibling In Literature.)

The odd little non-linear sections add to the story rather than detracting. The emotions of the conclusion work on me every single time. Part of me misses being eleven years old and having a friend-enemy like Gareth. Plus, the entire chicken subplot is just so dang funny.

[Ramarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Hilary McKay. She has this great ability to convey family dynamics in description and dialogue, and it's not a neat, perfect family dynamic...it's quirky and funny and heartwarming. I enjoyed headstrong Binny, who is "haunted" by her Aunty Violet and has adventures with her frenemy, Gareth. Brother James, who's like a 6-year old mad scientist, is hilarious! The story comes full circle in a very satisfying way as Binny realizes that stories, like the ones her dad made up for her, can indeed truly save lives. The sequence of the events in the book one, and recognize similar characters.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible. Honestly only the last 3 pages are good. The only reason why I finished reading this book is because of all the good reviews and I thought it would have gotten better but it didn't and I wanted to return this to the library. This book just didn't have a good plot and it was so boring to read. I mostly skimmed the last 50 pages because I just wanted it to be over. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AT ALL.

[Suzanna E. Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuk en grappig jeugdboek dat met momenten ook ontroerend is. Clavis had iets meer werk mogen besteden aan het omslagontwerp (dat een beetje saai is, te blauw) en de kwaliteit van het papier. Binny is een personage dat zowel meisjes als jongens aan kan spreken en de situatie waarin Gareth zit met zijn vader zal ook erg herkenbaar zijn voor sommige tieners. Leest vlot, geen spanning, wel de nodige emotie.

[We Are All Mad Here · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, likeable yet realistic characters, the right amount of humor versus gravity. I loved that Binny told her Aunty Violet, "I hope you're next.". At a funeral. Yes, it did wrap up very nicely, but I personally thought that was very, well, nice.

[Carolynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilary McKay knocks it out of the park again. Great characters (quirky, as always), some foreshadowing, and a satisfying ending.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heart Hilary McKay.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hilary McKay's writing. So much.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book an extra star because I'm a middle child.

Binny (short for Belinda) and her family have to reinvent their lives after the sudden death of Binny's father reveals that they had been living beyond their means. They lose their house, his bookstore business and the comfortable lifestyle they were used to. Binny's beloved border collie puppy Max is sent to live with her granny who can't handle him. Later he's rehomed by Aunt Violet, an elderly relation with no patience for children.

When granny dies too there's a faceoff after the funeral in which Aunt Violet pronounces that deaths come in threes and Binny confronts her about her heartbreak over Max and wishes her dead. A few weeks later Aunt Violet does die and Binny struggles with her feelings of guilt and confusion when Aunt Violet leaves a small seaside cottage to her in her will. She feels haunted by a photo of Aunt Violet from her teens, in which the resemblance to Binny is striking, but this is not a ghost story.

Life goes on and older sister Clem sells off her things then finds jobs to fund flute lessons, her life's passion. Younger brother James finds himself undersupervised at age 6 and is the source of cheeky humor for the book. Their mother finds a job in an eldercare center and they get by and make improvements to the inherited cottage. The book mostly centers on Binny's crush on Liam who runs boat tours to view seals, working in the family cafe managed by Liam's sister Kate, and small summer adventures with Gareth, the neighbor boy who is trying to get between his father and the new girlfriend. The climax of the book is a chapter when Binny and Gareth get caught by the tide while trying to haul away a discarded net that endangers wildlife. Liam comes to their rescue in his boat. It's revealed that it was Gareth's family who adopted Binny's dog Max. They make a plan to share Max and it's essentially a very middle grade HEA.

I found this a fast, easy read. I'm not sure a child who has actually lost their father would see themselves in these characters who grieve and move on quite quickly in the early chapters, but the portrayal of family is generally well done. Parents of middle graders might not like a scene where Liam and Clem are found sleeping on the couch when Binny comes downstairs after a nightmare. It's not a sex scene by any stretch and there's some backpeddling in later pages about them being dressed, but it's a less middle grade reveal than the rest. Binny clearly understands that it means Liam prefers her beautiful older sister and has lost her crush. I also wasn't thrilled that in making Binny crew on his boat Liam was essentially using her to clean and do other less pleasant tour boat tasks, but I recognize that that's how it goes for eleven year olds in lieu of real jobs. In terms of the organization of the book, I was a little thrown by the tide stranding being interrupted in the telling, but the sea rescue does ultimately pull it all back together in the end. Other than that, my most persistent nitpick was what illogical nicknames Bin and Binny are for Belinda. I will make this book available to my 10yo sons.