The title of this book is what first drew me in, and then once I read the synopsis I was sold.

We get a good mix of seeing Laurie's life at school (with its typical daily dramas and upkeep of friendships) and her life at home. You really feel her internal struggle between upholding the values she gained from her eco-warrior parents and just wanting to fit in and do some of the things the most kids her age do.

The eccentricity of the Larksie family provided a lot of funny moments but also a lot of teaching moments.

The story is very relevant to issues of today; not only eco-friendly living but also things like the influence of social media. Ultimately this book will really benefit younger readers - reminding them to be more aware of alternative lifestyles, encouraging them to be true to themselves and inspiring them to get in touch with their creative juices.

I enjoyed reading this!

Children need to learn from the very early ages that our world is changing and someone needs to do something about it. Beauty and the Bin might be a great start to learn what they can do!
This book is well-written, fun and has cool characters. I was easily connected with a lot of them and liked them immediately. Being a teenage is hard enough without humiliating eco-warrior parents! But love conquers all.
I also loved the recipes at the end, what a cool idea!

I really enjoyed reading this book and could relate to the main character of Laurie who being torn between her family and fitting in at school.

Laurie has just started Secondary school and she is embarrassed by her eco-warrior parents, she just wants to fit in with her friends.

Then the school takes part in a competition and Laurie team up with the most popular girl in school to make beauty products from ingredients found around the house. Will Laurie be able to win the competition without loosing what is important to her.

I really connected to the dilemma Laurie found herself in and how over time she realised what was important to her.

Beauty and the Bin had a unique storyline which I really enjoyed. The plot was simple enough but it really took me on a journey. Lau was a brilliant protagonist. Sure, she did make some wrong choices but I'm glad she found that family was more important than anything. Fern was very quirky and funny and I loved her character. The first line had me hooked and the author's writing was fabulous. I found that the story came to a satisfying end (something rare these days). This is middle grade fiction at it's best. I would gladly recommend this to younger siblings and my peers.