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A review by gschwabauer
Binny in Secret by Hilary McKay
4.0
I love the dual storyline in this novel. Characters are lovely and perfectly voiced, as is the standard for Hilary McKay.
On a second read, this one didn't work quite as well for me as Binny for Short, in large part because of the absence of Gareth. The Binny/Gareth friendship is so much more vivid and compelling and humorous than the one between Binny and Clare. I realize that McKay is trying to do something very different in this novel, but the something she is trying to do didn't feel quite as unique or as fun to read.
Still, she draws you into both worlds so well. Children act like children, not not like cherubic little delights or whiny, wailing brats. I was especially impressed with Clarry, Peter, and Rupe – so different from her usual fare, and yet each so believable and bittersweet.
This is not Hilary McKay's fault at all, but I don't understand why anyone would have selected these illustrations for the book. They don't match the story at all; they were distracting and unpleasant every time they appeared. The massive bug-eyes of the characters just look ridiculous, and the style is so overly simplistic that it looks more like a heavily stylized kindergarten picture book than a grade-school novel. Somebody should have said no.
On a second read, this one didn't work quite as well for me as Binny for Short, in large part because of the absence of Gareth. The Binny/Gareth friendship is so much more vivid and compelling and humorous than the one between Binny and Clare. I realize that McKay is trying to do something very different in this novel, but the something she is trying to do didn't feel quite as unique or as fun to read.
Still, she draws you into both worlds so well. Children act like children, not not like cherubic little delights or whiny, wailing brats. I was especially impressed with Clarry, Peter, and Rupe – so different from her usual fare, and yet each so believable and bittersweet.
This is not Hilary McKay's fault at all, but I don't understand why anyone would have selected these illustrations for the book. They don't match the story at all; they were distracting and unpleasant every time they appeared. The massive bug-eyes of the characters just look ridiculous, and the style is so overly simplistic that it looks more like a heavily stylized kindergarten picture book than a grade-school novel. Somebody should have said no.