For those who already know and love Georgia, only one word is necessary: more. For those few who have just returned from Antarctica: here is the third installment in the stream-of-consciousness glimpses into the inner mind of quite conceivably the most self-interested teen in the world. As with the first two novels (Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, 2000; On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God, 2001), Georgia’s own voice, laced with loony British teen-isms, is the raison de read. Rennison consistently displays a near-perfect sense of comic timing and an ear for language that subsumes normal demands for such traditional plot elements as, say, rising and falling action. The plot, such as it is, finds Georgia first stolidly bearing up under the torture of a five-day family holiday in Och-aye Land, where the acme of excitement is hanging out at the 24-hour supermarket with the local boys (known by the collective noun “Jock Mcthick”). Home at last, she turns her attentions to her twin favorite pursuits: makeup and moving up the Snogging Scale with Robbie, the Sex God. This outpouring ends with a real breakthrough in terms of character development: the reader may detect the rudiments of a conscience when Georgia finds herself attracted to both her boyfriend the S.G. and to Dave the Laugh, former red herring and current boyfriend of friend Ellen, when she accidentally snogs him at a dance: “3:05 a.m. Oh God, she is my mate. I am bad bad baddy bad bad. Jesus would never snog his mate’s boyfriend. 3:15 a.m. I will probably never be able to sleep again. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.” Will there be any further, further, further confessions? Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants will be published this summer in tea-and-crumpets agogo land—we can hardly wait. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-623656-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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