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This month The Edge of the Forest reviews Young Adult titles
that portray the process of growing up and coming to terms with one's family and friends. Bindy of Being Bindy and
Patty of Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) discover the truths about their families, their friends and
themselves on opposite sides of the planet, in two different worlds.
Being Bindy
by Alyssa Brugman
Reviewed by Liz Burns, A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
Bindy and Janey have been best friends forever; and as far as Bindy is concerned, it's going to stay that way forever. Why
should eighth grade change anything? But it does. Bindy cannot understand why Janey suddenly wants to sit with Hannah
during lunch. She thinks it's boring. And when Bindy visits Janey's house for their weekly sleepover, she's surprised (and
not in a good way) that Janey has invited Hannah over, and the three girls are going to the movies. What Bindy has on just
won't do, so before she knows it she's got makeup layered on her face and is wearing a skirt that is way too short. The
night ends in a disaster, with Bindy calling her father to pick her up and Janey furious. Bindy thinks that losing her best
friend is as bad as it can get; but it gets worse. Bindy farts in gym class and becomes the school laughing stock and to
top it all off, Bindy's father has begun dating Janey's mother.
Bindy is experiencing the worst. year. ever. Yet she manages to get by. For one thing, while Bindy may not be as "grown up"
as Janey and her new group of friends, Bindy doesn't care. When things began going bad at the movies, she had no qualms
about calling her father to take her home. She's not going to change her looks or her clothes; she's not going to pretend
to like different TV shows. She doesn't think that Janey's new behavior, which includes making out with boys and drinking,
is cool. Bindy thinks she's alone; but she's not. Her brother, who she thought of as the guy who disappears into his room
to play computer games, turns out to be an ally. And she discovers that not everyone at school sees Janey and her new
friends as the A List.
Being Bindy has a refreshing family dynamic that is neither too perfect nor overly dramatic. Bindy and her brother Kyle don'
t have a perfect relationship; but they do have a realistic one, and both grow up just enough to appreciate each other.
Bindy's parents are divorced, and she lives with her Dad. Her mother is self-involved and selfish. While Mom is annoying
(and Bindy gets annoyed at her), she is refreshingly honest in knowing her own flaws and doing the best she knows how.
There is a wonderful scene in which Bindy realizes that not only is Mom paying child support, she is also paying alimony; and
that without that money, her father wouldn’t be able to pay the bills. The realization hits her that her father, who is
living his dream job but isn't financially responsible for himself or for his children, is in this way just as selfish as
her mother, who prefers parenting on weekends.
Bindy is young; but eighth graders are young. As she faces all the things that can make school horrible, she grows stronger
but is not forced to grow older. This is not a book where Bindy discovers that makeup is fun and wow, Janey's right—it is
fun to date boys. Rather, Bindy grows up, by seeing the flaws in others and accepting them and loving them despite the
flaws. She finds a place for herself by being herself—by being Bindy.
This book is by an Australian writer, so contains some words that readers may not understand at first. The Australian
slang is part of the charm of the book, and it's easy to figure out that "bagging out Dad" meant saying mean things about
Dad. And while I'm saying "eighth grade" and the book jacket says eighth grade, rest assured that Bindy and company refer
to it as Grade 8.
Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies)
by Justina Chen Headley
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
Patty Ho finishes ninth grade in a pickle. Kids at school have been calling her nasty names, making fun of her for
being Asian. She's also self-conscious because she's only half-Asian and is tall, thin, has big feet, brown hair, and eyelid
creases. With a Taiwanese mother and a missing white father, she feels out of place at meetings of The Potluck Group, a
frequently held bragfest during which Asian mothers boast about the achievements of their children. And Patty's mom has
something to brag about this month—Patty's older brother, Abe, has been accepted to Harvard.
Patty's "Mama" is worried about her daughter. She's wants her daughter to fall in love with a nice Taiwanese boy and not
make the mistake she herself made by marrying a white man. One of the Potluck Ladies recommends a Chinese fortuneteller who
reads belly buttons for a glimpse into Patty's future. Unfortunately for Patty, her bellybutton reveals she will have an
accident when she is fifteen, she will have three children, and she will fall in love with a white guy.
Horrified, Mama takes action. She begins to feed Patty "tonic soup" each morning (prescribed by the fortune teller) and
enrolls her in Stanford University Math Camp for "mathematically talented and motivated high school students." To add to the
summer trials, Patty's Honors English teacher requires her to rewrite her truth statement (a practice run at a college essay,
with a focus on "The Truth, and nothing but the Truth"), this time telling the whole truth about her life.
The first thing Patty learns about math camp is that there are more Asians (of every type and mix) than she could ever imagine
as a girl from small-town Washington. The second thing she learns is most important—the whole truth about herself and
her family.
Patty grows up at math camp, with the help of many dramatic events including a yucky guy (Asian), a surprise visit from Mama,
middle-of-the-night adventures, and a kind (and cute!) counselor. Patty comes to terms with her hapa status, her Mama, and
her family's past.
Patty Ho is a touching heroine, naive from years of fierce overprotection by Mama. Mama is a fabulous character, whose
"lecture series," as reported by Patty, is priceless. Here's a quote from "The Mama Lecture Series. Lecture 1: You Have It
So Easy":
"Greetings and welcome to The Mama Lecture Series, brought to you by the first-generation Mamas who left the Old Country for
Brand-New America....While audience participation, such as talking back, is forbidden, tears of guilt and effusive
apologies are more than welcome." (12)
The lectures kept me in stitches throughout the book and Patty's coming-of-age story is a universal one all teens and preteens
can relate to no matter their background.
Being Bindy, by Alyssa Brugman. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2006. ISBN: 0-3857-3294-5.
Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), by Justina Chen Headley. Little, Brown, 2006. ISBN: 0-3160-1128-2.
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