The Bermudez Triangle

by Maureen Johnson

Book Overview

Grade 9 Up Johnson begins this exceptional novel in a lightweight fashion but quickly segues into more serious issues that affect the three young women who make up the Bermudez Triangle. It is the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595141553
• ISBN13: 9781595141552
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Razorbill
• Length: 370 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

A great book about friendship

The Bermudez Triangle was the last of Maureen Johnson's five books that I read. I wish it had been the first, especially after it was challenged in Oklahoma. The story follows three best friends, Nina, Avery and Mel. Nina gets accepted into a university program and leaves for the entire summer. Nina obviously misses Avery and Mel, but she meets a boy named Steve who cares about the environment as much as she does, and she falls for him. While she is away, Avery and Mel work at a restaurant and spend most of their time together. Soon Avery and Mel discover there may be more-than-friends feelings between them and the development of their relationship happens gradually, like real life. When Nina returns, Avery and Mel are distant. Nina knows something in their friendships has shifted, or changed, but she is not sure what. She is shocked when she finds out (and not in the most appropriate way) that Avery and Mel are dating, and feels like she has to take sides when Avery and Mel break up. The whole book is a refreshing look at love that just kind of happens, and how friendships change when two people you're best friends with begin dating. Nothing is contrived, but instead the issues are examined with care, and a feeling of innocence and confusion from the characters. Readers will relate to the ups and downs of falling in and out of love and discovering who you are in the process. A must read.

Testing the boundaries of friendship

Nina, Avery, and Mel have been best friends forever, They tell each other everything, and are completely inseperable. For the first time, Nina is leaving for the summer for a pre-college course. There she has a great time, with her nutty room mate. But when the guy across the hall takes and interest in her, everything gets better. Nina falls head over heals in love- eventually. Meanwhile, back home, something is happening. After a night of partiying, Mel is drunk, and Avery takes her back to her house. They sleep in Avery's bed - and both have their first kiss - with each other. They accept they are Lesbian - but keep in hidden, because they know it won't be accepted. When Nina comes home, she is still clouded with lovesick thoughts. She doesn't even see it, until out on a shopping trip with Avery and Mel. They were acting strange, like they wanted to be alone, so Nina shopped by herself for a while. Then when she went to find them, she had the biggest surprise of her life- and caught them kissing. A very good insight into getting used to a huge change in an unbreakable friendship.

The Bermudez Triangle - a compelling story about love, loss, and friendship

The Bermudez Triangle is a compelling, poignant teen novel that engages the reader with the characters, plot, and emotion of the book. The Bermudez Triangle (I liked this title; it made me think of the Bermuda Triangle) centralizes around three high school best friends: Nina, an activist and the president of student council, who goes away for the summer for a college program; Avery, with her short hair and love of music; and Mel, the shy but adorable girl that guys always seem to go after. The summer finds one of these three best friends separated. Nina is off to a college program for the summer, and Mel and Avery work at P.J. Mortimer's as waitresses. Then, one day, Mel and Avery kiss, which complicates their relationship. They soon start "dating" and it is evident they are in love with each other. When Nina finds out, she is shocked, and she feels their friendship will no longer be the same. The Bermudez Triange takes us on a journey of heartbreak, loss, identity, friendship, and love. Nina, Mel, and Avery all have their fair share of problems, but their bond is enough to bring them together and help each other out. Other characters come into play as well, including Steve Carson, Nina's environmentalist boyfriend whom she meets at her summer program, and Parker, a waiter who works at P.J. Mortimers but who soon becomes involved in the girls' friendship. Maureen Johnson has done an excellent job with this novel. Not only is it an engaging page-turner, but The Bermudez Triangle makes readers sympathize and care for the characters. I felt I grew very close to each of the best friends, especially Nina. Sometimes the subject of sexual identity and homosexuality are written about so much that the topic starts to become tedious. But Maureen Johnson is not one of those tedious authors; she brings a fresh voice to the YA scene and approaches the subject of sexual identity in a sophisticated and mature way. The Bermudez Triangle is a pleasure to read. I found I couldn't stop turning the pages - the plot just flowed so nicely and the characters were so interesting. The Bermudez Triangle is definitely one of the finer YA novels out there. I also recommend Maureen Johnson's other book, The Key to the Golden Firebird.

Great Book!

When I first cracked open Maureen Johnson's "The Bermudez Triangle" I was worried that I was in for a lame "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" knockoff. I suppose it helps to actually read the flap description before reading a book. The Bermudez Triangle centers around three best friends: Nina Bermudez, class president and born leader, Avery Dekker, a grungy and sarcastic rocker, and Melanie Forrest, the sweet and shy girl guys can't help but crush on. Up until this point, the girls have been inseperable, however, when Nina goes away for the summer to a leadership camp, changes begin to take place within the triangle. Three very different girls with different interests and priorities. Oh no. Can their friendship survive? On the surface it sounds tired and overused, and yet Johnson manages to breathe enough life into this YA Fiction cliche to produce an immensely enjoyable book. The characters are very likeable yet believable, and Johnson keeps her readers hooked with a fun and fluid style. Most importantly, "The Bermudez Triangle" confronts the topic of sexual identity from several perspectives, an issue that many teens encounter firsthand. Maureen Johnson's "The Bermudez Triangle" is a fun, endearing, and important read that beautifully illustrates the struggles and confusion of friendship, identity, and growing up. Johnson is a very talented writer and I will be eagerly waiting for future releases by her.

Amazing Book!

"In the first moment, Nina thought Avery was helping Mel with a necklace. Then she realized that Mel wasn't wearing one. Also, putting on or removing a necklace doesn't usually involve putting you lips on someone else's." This excerpt is from the exciting book, The Bermudez Triangle, by Maureen Johnson. The book is about three best friends, Nina, the outgoing, responsible leader of the group, Mel, the shy one who attracts all the guys, and Avery, the partier, and what happens when they cross the line from friendship to love. The summer before senior year, Nina goes away to a summer program at Stanford where she meets and falls head over heels in love with her earth conscience west coast boyfriend, Steve. Without Nina, Avery and Mel are spending more and more time alone together. One night when Avery spends the night at Mel's house, they share a kiss. They soon begin to secretly date, not even telling Nina. When Nina returns home, she feels left out and excluded from her best friends, sensing that they are keeping something from her. She soon discovers their secret, and as happy as she is for them, can't help but feel partially depressed, as her friendship seems to be crumbling while she is having the same problems with her long distance relationship. The Bermudez Triangle is one of few books that I have read that I never wanted put down. It showed me the hardships that so many teenagers face and the ways that they deal with them. Not only was this book compelling, but it really made me think about the fact that true friendships can conquer anything, no matter what the circumstances are. It also showed me that true friends are hard to come by and will stick together no matter what. I definitely give this book five stars. It is unlike any book I have ever read. If you want to read a good book that you will never want to put down, I would definitely recommend The Bermudez Triangle!