Product Description

Girl Power meets Goodness Gracious Me!

Three fun-loving Anglo-Asian sisters rule the roost since their mom died. They’ve got a reputation at school for being the coolest babes in town, and what they don’t need is an interfering Auntie-ji from India cramping their style. The girls decide the only way out of the problem is an arranged marriage -- for their auntie.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #536432 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-28
• Released on: 2003-07-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7–Actress Nina Wadia adeptly performs Narinder Dhami's modern tale of three young Indian sisters living in England who are trying to cope with the recent death of their beloved mother (Delacorte, 2004). A year after the tragedy, their father's sister arrives to help the family cope. The sisters find her presence unbearably interfering and so plot together to find ways to compel Auntie to leave. Wadia's voice is pitch-perfect for the narrative voice of 12-year-old Amber. Since the author's writing makes it clear who is speaking, subtle tone changes are often all the narrator uses to represent different characters. Younger listeners may find Indian cultural references ("Bollywood") and some British terms ("trainers" for sneakers) confusing. The blend of humor, Indian culture, and the concerns of today's teens make this a fun read for middle schoolers.–Jennifer Iserman, Dakota County Library, Burnhaven Branch, Eagen, MN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Amber, Jazz, and Geena Dhillon, three Indian sisters living with their father in England, appear to be doing just fine, even though their mother has recently died. In fact, the Bindi Babes are the envy of their peers--they're perfect students, and their sad and largely absent father indulges their every material wish. At least that's true until the girls' nosy, interfering aunt from India arrives to spoil everything; together they scheme how to get rid of Auntie so they can return to their perfect (and very Western) lives. Nina Wadia's lilting voice does an outstanding job narrating the comic twists of the Dhillon sisters' various plots. Wadia handles the variety of voices in the story with ease and humor and draws a wonderfully entertaining family portrait that is by turns funny and touching. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. A year after their mother's sudden death, 14-year-old Geena, 12-year-old Ambajit (Amber), and 11-year-old Jazvinder (Jazz), aka the Bindi Babes, may be perfectly behaved and rule at school and at home (in England), but they still haven't dealt with the loss of their mom. Then Auntie arrives from India and tries to interfere with their carefully constructed routines and coping mechanisms. In an effort to be rid of her, the sisters decide to find her a husband. If they can just get her to their school, they'll orchestrate a meeting with Amber's gorgeous teacher, Mr. Arora. But are these "perfect" girls able to unbend enough to misbehave? Indian words describing food, clothing, and familial relationships add cultural flavor to the story, but girls from everywhere will relate to the main characters. Although there is some sense of the girls' grieving process, the overall tone of the story is light and innocent as the girls come to realize that being perfect is no substitute for dealing with a life-altering event. A sequel, Bollywood Babes, is planned for March 2005. Cindy Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Loved the characters
Meet Amber, Jazz and Geena Dhillon. They are sisters living in London who are the envy of all their friends. They have the best clothes and the teachers all like them too. They have it all. But then the unthinkable happens. Their auntie from India comes to live with them! Since their mother died, it has been just their dad and them. And dad is a pushover. Need a new pair of shoes? Just ask. Dad will buy them. It doesn't matter that you have a pair in your closet that you've never worn. Dad will give his girls anything they ask for. But now Auntie is butting into everything. She's even got Dad convinced that he is spending too much money on the girls! Can you imagine? So the girls come up with a plan to get rid of Auntie. They plan to marry her off. Can this possibly work? Join the Bindi Babes as they try one hilarious scheme after another to keep Auntie from ruining their lives.