School daze

Having grown up on a diet of Judy Blume and Paul Zindel it was refreshing to read a story about an Australian girl who goes to an Australian school and does Australian things like work part-time at Kmart. The Betrayal of Bindy Mackenzie is Jaclyn Moriarty's third novel for young adults and is set in the north-western suburbs of Sydney where Moriarty herself grew up.

Bindy Mackenzie is a straight-A student who believes she's modest and popular but discovers on her first day of year 11 that she's in fact the most unpopular girl in school. She decides to recreate herself as somebody ruthless and takes it upon herself to tell her classmates what they're really like. However her life takes a strange turn after she witnesses an event the significance of which she will need the help of her classmates to discover.

Those who have read Moriarty's second teen novel, Finding Cassie Crazy, will recognise Bindy Mackenzie as being one of its minor characters. Moriarty wasn't planning on writing a third book set in the same school but was encouraged to do so when her sister couldn't wait for the next book so she could find out what happens to Bindy.

Moriarty uses an interesting format of diary entries, emails, memos and letters to tell Bindy's story. It took me a little while to get used to but once I did I really enjoyed it. And it's a format that gets the reader straight into the action as there's no room for lengthy descriptions and author digressions; teen readers with short attention spans will surely appreciate that.

By using the first person perspective Moriarty succeeds at making the reader come to sympathise with her unlikable protagonist. She puts the reader in Bindy's head and we come to understand and empathise with her situation. Teenage readers will find a character to relate to amongst Bindy's cast and adult readers will be reminded of what it was like to be a teenager.

Moriarty has a natural talent for portraying teenagers with both candour and humour. Mix this with a very Australian story and a gripping plot and The Betrayal of Bindy Mackenzie is a truly enjoyable read.

Karin van Heerwaarden

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The Betrayal of Bindy Mackenzie

Author: Jaclyn Moriarty
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Price: $16.95

Check out our interview with Jaclyn Moriarty
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