Binny for Short
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This tender, sweet, and hilarious novel about growing up with a loving family and a perfectly rambunctious dog “balances moments of hilarity with poignancy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
When she was eight, Binny’s life was perfect: She had her father’s wonderful stories and Max, the best dog ever. But after her father’s sudden death, money is tight, and horrible Aunty Violet decides to give Max away—he is just too big for their cramped new life. Binny knows she can’t get her dad back, but she never stops missing Max, or trying to find him. Then, when she’s eleven, everything changes again.
Aunty Violet has died, and left Binny and her family an old house in a seaside town. Binny is faced with a new crush, a new frenemy, and…a ghost? It seems Aunty Violet may not have completely departed. It’s odd being haunted by her aunt, but there is also the warmth of a busy and loving mother, a musical older sister, and a hilarious little brother, who is busy with his experiments. And his wetsuit. And his chickens.
You’ll delight in getting to know Binny and her hilarious, heartwarming family in this charming novel, which received three starred reviews.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fans of McKay's Casson books will warmly welcome the delightful and eccentric Cornwallis family, who move into a seaside cottage bequeathed to them by cranky Aunty Violet. Though the family has been penniless and has shuffled from one cramped apartment to another since Mr. Cornwallis's death, 11-year-old Binny balks at living in the house because the late Violet gave away Binny's beloved dog. Binny's deceased nemesis, with whom she has imaginary conversations, becomes an unlikely catalyst for the girl's salvation; after the move, Binny finds much-needed friends in the angry, lonely boy next door; a handsome older boy who lets her join the crew on his boat; and Kate, a kindly cafe owner. While Binny's engaging relationships with these characters is a bonus, the humorous and poignant interactions among Binny's caring older sister, independent younger brother, and insightful mother are the heart of the novel. Player's brassy b&w illustrations sit a bit oddly against McKay's elegant and often dreamlike prose, but it's a minor off note in a well-crafted story that balances moments of hilarity with poignancy. Ages 8 12.
