Tracey Binns is Trouble

Sherryl Clark (author)
Alexis Apfelbaum (illustrator)

University of Qld Press, Australia: 2008; 108pp

ISBN: 9780702236679 9+

Genres: realistic fiction

Issues: bullying, change, friendship, giftedness, underachieving, truth/honesty

An entertaining novel that explores the nature of friendship, the complex nature of giftedness, and the social dynamics of the classroom.

Tracey Binns doesn't do homework. In class she works hard to get the answers wrong. She does everything she can to avoid standing out in any way - except as the class clown. So when the new girl, pretty Isabella, decides that Tracey is her next best friend, nobody - least of all Tracey - is quite sure what will happen.

Tracey is astonished to find that Isabella sees straight through her carefully developed ‘bad girl' act but isn't convinced that's a good thing - especially when Isabella enters her for an interschool competition. It's everything that Tracey has been trying to avoid - showing her true ability and putting her right at the centre of her peer's attention. And why is Isabella so keen to see Tracey succeed? And what's the mysterious secret she herself is trying to conceal?

Although Isabella seems rather too adult or teacher-like in her perceptiveness and actions, this is a very readable story. Exploring the nature of friendship, the complex nature of giftedness, and the social dynamics of the classroom, this is an entertaining and thought-provoking novella from an experienced writer. ‘Tracey Binns is Trouble' would be a good choice for a teacher to read aloud to a class.