The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown

Bingo Brown #1

by Betsy Byars

A boy is puzzled by the comic and confusing questions of youth and worried by disturbing insights into adult conflicts.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books, Juvenile

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Betsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!

Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bingo Brown fell in love three times during English Class." When I read this first sentence, I knew I was in for a treat. Of course, I was the same age as Bingo at the time, sixth grade, and over the course of the next several weeks, I fell in love with Bingo, myself. I devoured everything Byars wrote about him. I was somewhat apprehensive about picking these back up almost twenty years later, because I didn't want to be disappointed. Fortunately, this book held up pretty well. Although I think Bingo might be a bit advanced and erudite for a sixth grader, his preoccupations and motivations seemed very realistic. I also still found him humorous. This is not the typical juvenile humor that mostly focuses on bodily functions and precociousness. While Bingo could certainly be described as precocious, this is not an extended episode of Kids Say the Darndest Things. The issues Bingo deals with, such as **SPOILER** his teacher's possible suicide attempt **/SPOILER** and how to express yourself creatively in the face of bureaucracy are decidedly not trivial and some youngsters may need guidance in understanding and dealing with the subject matter.
Recommended for juveniles, those who read with their children after the age of 10, and me.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book because he has a lot of questions and sometimes you talk a lot because you don't have time to ask someone and he wrote down his questions that he was really wanting to know about. I think that 5 graders should read this because they are the ones who need more help with not talking non stop.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book when I discovered it in fourth or fifth grade at a book fair. As a nerdy kid who was also in love with puns and very observant, I felt so understood reading Bingo's tales. I can recall even at the time recognizing the ways that Mr. Mark was showing up and how difficult that would be for a class of kids. Despite being written in the late 1980s it stands up pretty well and would probably be a good fit for a late-elementary school audience.

[Megan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fantastic until about 2/3 of the way through, when the teacher asked them to write a really unhinged assignment the letter talking someone (like a teacher) out of suicide. I get that the book is almost 40 years old, but I can't imagine him being able to get away with that. The rest of the book was unnecessarily dark compared to the start, and I couldn't put it on my classroom shelf because of it. I'm really sad about that because it had such a promising start!

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a young people's story. At 80 years old I enjoy every so often reading such to see how/if youth still have the same questions I did as a youngster; and often find---YES, they do. And life goes on.

[Zoe || Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was for school but I enjoyed it

[Shawn Pomeroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when at primary school. Really enjoyed it at the time. No idea what it's like now.

[Shelleyc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the male version of Anatasia Crumpnik! We loved it!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family loved the Bingo Brown books so much, I insisted on reading them aloud as bedtime stories to my husband in our twenties who hadn’t read them.

[Nancy]

The name of this book is called "The burning questions of Bingo Brown" by Betsy Byars. You could say that its a pretty interesting book because it talks a lot the life of a twelve year old. He goes through any twelve year old drama that you would be able to think of. he also falls in love with 3 girls at the same time and he doesn't know who he truely likes. In the book you would also realize that a bully then moves right next door to him and his parents are always insane about hime. He would try to impress those three girls by putting gel in hair and he goes crazy. But all this is like a journey to him.

I think that this book is a really fun and entertaining book. It makes you think about all those things that you use to do back when you were 12. I like the way the author formatted the book as well. In the book you would see pictures and little drawings. It's very funny at times and it makes you wonder alot.

[Kasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself constantly chuckling at the situations in this book. Bingo is quite the character. I'm not sure if my son would find it nearly as amusing as I did, though, because I have a different perspective on that age group, being an adult. I read a Betsy Byars book a long while back and wasn't too impressed with it, but I did like this one quite a lot. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the teacher in Bingo's class was a little "out there" and one of his writing assignments was about suicide. There were undertones that hinted to the teacher considering suicide, and that concerns me. The thing is, I'm not even sure why the author made that part of the book. I know there are several other books about Bingo, and it's possible that it was necessary to a sequel story somehow. I'd probably let my son read it, but I'd want to make sure we talked a bit about suicide.

[Monchel Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed this book. "The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown" was very interesting. It was about a little boy named Bingo. He was very curious about a lot and had a lot of questions about things. Bingo had to keep a notebook for his class but all he came up with we're questions. The ridiculous questions that he asked not even his teacher could answer them. It also appears his teacher has been acting weird and it was a lot for Bingo to handle. The age group for this book would be About 8 years of age. Just from the title of the book the color caught my eye because it looked like maybe pastel colors were used for this book. I would recommend this book because it shows that it's ok to be curious about different things and that will lead to asking many different questions to get an answer.

[Adelissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the sweetest, most thoughtful book I have read in a while. I have been keeping a journal since I was 10 years old and it really does help us make sense of the world around us and help us work through problems. I really related to Bingo as someone who chaos seems to follow when I am usually minding my own business. This book tackled some heavy subjects with wit, humor, and sensitivity. Betsy Byars never disappoints and when I was a little girl they made some of her books into after-school special movies. Found out she died not too long ago and she will be missed. She is one of a handful of writers that really shaped my youth. For some reason, I didn't end up reading this book as a child but I wish I had, I think it would have helped me with a lot of issues. would have given it 1o stars if I could have.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bingo Brown fell in love three times during English class. Bingo had never been in love before. He had never even worried about falling in love. He thought love couldn't start until a person had zits, so he had plenty of time. Bingo was worried about being called on."

Ah, what a perfect beginning. Bingo is in sixth grade, and his story, while delightfully funny,also tackles serious topics, from freedom of speech (or dress, in school) to suicide. A great read, and I'm looking forward to following Bingo through the next novels.


2/60 TBR box.

[Duane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bingo Brown is a really interesting character. I can see how any typical teenage boy could relate to Bingo. He experiences the daily drama that any 12 year old boy would. He loves multiple girls in his class, he adores his teacher, his parents drive him crazy, and the class bully just moved in next door to him, and yet he continues to look at life like it's an adventure. This book does deal with a serious matter that hints at suicide but it's handled properly. A great book for teens.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Bingo Brown. He writing down questions in his notebook. His favorite teacher is Mr. Markham. One day, the passed a new rule that no one is to wear clothes with writing on them. Bingo has a plan to protest against this rule.

I have no connections.

I rated this book 4 stars because it was hilarious. I recommend this book to people who like comedies. This is a must read book.

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book so often as a child that the cover is torn and the pages are bent. I recently re-read it as an adult and found it to still be entertaining. Bingo is an entertaining and quirky main character that I find relate-able, even as he's dealing (seemingly for the first time) with the fact that an adult he idolizes is a fallible human being who makes questionable choices. I'm glad this book has been reprinted and that people are still reading it, 20+ years after its publication.

[Pyrate Queen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bingo Brown has been assigned to keep a journal in his 6th grade class, which he uses to reveal his secret concerns and questions about life. He is suddenly concerned with his appearance, especially his hair and freckles, and finds himself in love with three girls in five minutes. His other turmoils in life are the class bully, a new kid who moves in next door and his likeable teacher, who turns out to have more troubles than Bingo could ever imagine.

[Kricket · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Betsy Byars, and Bingo is a masterpiece of a character. In this one, Bingo's class tries to figure out why their teacher, Mr. Markham, is acting so strangely. This brings Bingo closer to his classmate Melissa, with whom he shares several successful "mixed-sex conversations." I love Bingo's interactions with his mother, they never fail to make me laugh.

[Dominic Ciccodicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were about two or three years of my adolescence when this book was more relatable to my life than any other and served simultaneously as a good friend and guide book for my social interactions. How to talk on the phone. How to deal with girls. How to defend first amendment rights. How to laugh at life. I am still very much the aspiring hero of Bingo, with so many goddamn questions.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if this book was supposed to be funny, but I know my sister and I laughed our heads off when we were in elementary school reading about crazy Bingo Brown. I wonder if I would still think it was funny.

[Jennifer Ramirez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown is an good book, but I didn't really like it. I liked how a boy that asked lots of questions and didn't know the answers, falls in love and she helps him figure them out. I would recommend this book for anyone that likes reading kind of love books.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so funny and weird at the same time. One really grows to love Bingo in all his oddities and minor existential crises. When I have kids, this will definitely be a book that I will give them to read.

[Partridge Public]

Byars, Betsy

[Emmanuel]

though this book was a little childish, it was really good!

[Cws]

JAR4-Bya

[Weronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Everyone should read it! It's a little bit about love, friendship and so on. It think it's a book for both girls ans boys.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will forever be 5 stars! I read it a million times in primary/elementary school. Memories!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during the 2006-07 academic year. I recall liking it, but for the life of me, I don't really recall the story.

[Aristyanto Heri Trimawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty neat. I like this novel.