Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Binny for Short by Hilary McKay - OPTIONAL


McKay, Hilary Binny for Short, 291 pgs. Hodder Children’s Books, 2013. $16.99. Language: PG (1 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G.  

Binny, 11, has already experienced a lot of loss in her short life. She lost her father and as a result of that she has to give up everything else including her best friend Max, her border collie. She blames her mean Aunty Violet for giving Max away and she never stops searching for him even after her Aunty Violet dies and leaves her house on the seashore to Binny’s family. Binny continues to have guilt for wishing for Aunty Violet’s death and swears her ghost is haunting her personally. 

I found the story very endearing but found it a bit hard to follow the story the way the author bounced around so much. I think younger children would have a hard time following the layout of this book. There was also some cigarette experimenting going on and some sexual insinuation. 

EL-OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Carie Middle School Librarian

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