Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Humor

Rennison, Louise. Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging. New York : HarperCollins, 1999.

[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]

What is it like to be a fourteen-year-old British girl? Read along in Georgia Nicolson’s diary to find out the importance of Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging.

At fourteen you find out how embarrassing your family is and how confusing it is to be a teenage girl. Georgia Nicolson confesses all of her thoughts in her diary. From page 3:

“There are six things very wrong with my life:

(1) I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next

two years.

(2) It is on my nose.

(3) I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.

(4) In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Fray Simpson and her bunch of sadistic “teachers”.

(5) I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.

(6) I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.”

Georgia’s world is surrounded by and interesting cast of characters including: her parents, Uncle Eddie, her younger sister Libby, her best friend Jas, her school friends Ellen & Julia, her cat (a combination of domestic tabby and half Scottish wildcat), Mr. & Mrs. Next Door (that hate her cat) and the school bullies Alison Peters and Jackie Mathews. Don’t forget the guys that spice things up: Cousin James, Tom and Robbie Jennings, Peter Dyer (the professional kisser), Sven, Mark (bonfire boy). Enjoy the adventures that Georgia and her friends at the Latimer and Ridgley School for girls have dealing with their uniforms, each other, the boys at Foxwood School and the Stiff Dylans band.

Grade 7-9

This book is like a teenage version of Bridget Jones’ Diary. The author provides a helpful glossary in the back of the book to explain British expressions to her, “American-type chums”.

Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging movie premiering July 25, 2009 http://www.angusthongsmovie.com/intl/uk/

2001 NYPL Books for the Teen Age

2000 Booklist Books for Youth Editor's Choice & Top 10 Youth First Novels

2001 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

2001 Best Books for Young Adults & Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers (ALA)

Brunettes Strike Back

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Humor

Scott, Kieran. Brunettes Strike Back. New York : Speak, 2006.



[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]

Annisa Gobrowski was the new girl on the Sand Dune High School Fighting Crabs cheerleading squad. Will they let the Jersey Girl with the brown hair ruin the look of the team or make her bleach her hair in the name of team unity?

After moving from New Jersey to Florida Annisa Gobrowski made the Sand Dune High School Fighting Crabs varsity cheerleading squad. Not only is she the new cheerleader from out of town, she is also the only non-blonde on the team. As they are preparing for the National competition a suggestion is made that Annisa should dye her hair blonde for Nationals. Are they serious? She also has to deal with troubles between her maybe-boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend that is on the squad, and the High School newspaper reporter that printed a very unflattering picture of her and is now stalking her to get an interview. If things haven’t gotten strange enough she is surprised at Nationals when her best friend and her ex-squad show up for the competition! From page 85:

“I blushed painfully. Suddenly I felt as if I were in the middle of a bad West Side Story remake. I looked from one glowering squad to the other and back again, imagining them decked out in cheerleading uniforms and leather jackets, instead of blades they had poms. And instead of pipes they wielded megaphones.”

What choices will Annisa make? What will happen when her old squad meets her new squad?

Grade 7-10

This is a fun interesting backstage look at a cheerleading squad that shows all the things that have to be considered when preparing for a competition.

This is book #2 in Non-Blonde Cheerleader Series.

Book #1- I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader.

Book #3 - Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love.

Yotsuba&!2

Genre: Graphic Novel

Azuma, Kiyohiko. Yotsuba&!2. Houston, Tex. : ADV Manga ; 2005.

[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]

In the second book of this manga series, green haired Yotsuba is trying her hand at drawing. Join Yotsuba in her new adventures with her neighbors.

Yotsuba is a very colorful and energetic girl with a creative imagination. Join her in book 2 of her adventures with her adoptive father, neighbors and friends. See if Yotsuba’s imagination translates into drawing abilities.

Grade 5 and Up–