Jill Pinkwater (1941–2022)

Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater is one of my all-time favorite books, as well as my family’s. It’s HILARIOUS. But it’s a book I never recommend to anyone, because only people with a very quirky, specific, unique, strange, unusual, and off-the-wall sense of humor will find it funny or enjoy, appreciate, and “get” it. For anyone else, it would just fall flat, and neither the reader nor the book deserves that!

But in case any of my followers would be interested, I’ll recommend Buffalo Brenda today--with the above disclaimer. If you think you might like it, it’s definitely worth a try! If you do have that certain sense of humor, it’s such an amazing and hilarious book. If anyone here has read Buffalo Brenda, or reads it in the future (whether you love or hate it), please let me know!

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On India Ink Teidelbaum’s first day of seventh grade, a girl walks into the classroom whose exotic appearance and adult intelligence make India’s unusual family roots seem normal. The two girls bond over their unfortunate names and much more, and they quickly become lasting best friends.

Two years later, India is dreading starting her next year of school, as a freshman at a public high school in their snooty suburb neighborhood. At least she has a loyal best friend by her side.

But India doesn’t know what she’s in for. Being friends with Brenda Tuna is never boring. Brenda always has some eccentric scheme that she manages to pull off with sheer bravado, and she always drags India into it against her will. Brenda’s latest and greatest gambit is for the two least popular girls in school to conquer the social system of their cliquish high school.

A whirlwind of absurd events ensue as the girls expose school scandals and raise school spirit, with the help of a motley gang of student helpers and an ambitiously-acquired buffalo mascot.

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Buffalo Brenda is a young adult contemporary novel that’s zany, hilarious, and full of heart. It centers around two relatable teen girls, their crazy misadventures in public high school, and their awesome, loyal, sweet friendship.

Everything about Buffalo Brenda is mildly or wildly entertaining to me, and it keeps me laughing--especially Brenda’s escapades and philosophical ruminations, India’s witty and humorous narration and perspective, the wacky situations they get into, and the interesting people they meet. The character development is fabulous--both girls have unique, fun personalities, and so do the rest of the novel’s cast. I love how India’s loyalty to Brenda forces her into trouble against her will--and how Brenda boldly extricates them. The plot moves along briskly, with hilarity and surprises at every turn. The story, setting, and characters are timeless and relatable, but it was written in the 1980s, so it’s very clean and wholesome, even though it’s YA.

As I said earlier, if this description and the premise above appeal to you, the book is totally worth reading on the off chance you might like it. If you like any book by the author’s husband, Daniel Pinkwater, you might love Buffalo Brenda. But the disclaimer above still applies--outside my family, all of whom love it, I know no one who I’m sure would even like it, and with the few people who might, I’m totally unsure. So decide for yourself! And if you do read, it, whether or not you like it, I want to know! *grins*

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