ISBN: 0064472272.
This is the hilarious Bridget Jones-like diary of 14-year-old Georgia� (School Library Journal). We get to read along as she tells all about her relationships with her friends, boys, family, cat, and the many embarrassing moments she experiences.
The characters are believable. �Georgia is self-conscious, boy crazy and thinks her parents are nuts. The reader can sympathize with all the embarrassing ordeals she goes through, such as her little sister Libby going to the bathroom in her pants at the swimming pool (Rennison 143). �She can be self centered and overly dramatic, but we love her for it. �The other characters are interesting as well. �Jas, Georgia's best friend, can be selfish and sometimes has a big mouth, but Georgia wouldn't be the same without her. �Georgia's parents play an important role as well. �For instance, when Georgia's father moves to New Zealand, it affects the way her mother behaves which affects the way Georgia behaves as well.�While the changes are subtle, Georgia has changed by the end of the story. �She's learned to stand up for herself, such as when she refuses to go along with one of Jackie's crazy schemes and twists Jackie's arm behind her back (Rennison 205). She learns a thing or two about the opposite sex as well.
The characters are revealed through Georgia's first person narrative and their actions. �Georgia's use of language helps paint a more interesting picture of her. �We can tell by the slang words she uses that she's a bit on the rebellious side, but not too bad. �This is also shown by her actions, such as when she tries to bleach one strand of her hair blond, but ends up making that hair fall out (Rennison 233). �We also see the way she behaves at school. �She's no delinquent, but she's certainly not the straight A, teacher's pet either. �She's a class clown and slacks off a bit in her classes.
The plot is full of action to keep the reader interested. �There is continuous drama concerning Georgia's boy issues, her hair, her fights with Jas, her little sister, Libby, and trying to control her wild cat. �The author uses episodic journal entries to tell the story and thus the plot is often developed as Georgia gushes about what exciting event happened to her the night before. �The major plot conflict seems to be Georgia against herself as well as the frequent but minor fights with Jas, Georgia's parents and her conflict with boys. �The author tends to use foreshadowing to give the reader the idea that something will eventually happen between Georgia and Robbie. �One of the main instances of this is how upset Robbie gets when he sees Georgia kissing a boy at some party. The conflict between the two of them reaches its climax when he kisses her towards the end of the book.
The setting is important because it affects the way the characters act and talk. The story is set in the United Kingdom. This is obvious from the British slang words Georgia uses, such as prat, poxy and others. The setting is also established by the description of the school they attend.
The theme is simply one of growing up. The theme is conveyed by all of the embarrassing situations Georgia goes through and how she handles them and matures as the book progresses. Another theme of this book is friendship and family love. No matter how many fights Georgia and Jas get into, it always works out in the end. The same is true with Georgia and her parents. She gets irritated with both of them quite often, but obviously loves them. She also obviously loves her little sister, Libby, or else she wouldn�t be so extremely patient with her.
The story is told from Georgia�s point of view. The book is written in the style of a diary. Because of this much of the plot unfolds in a flashback sort of form instead of in present time. The tone is a humorous one. Adults as well as teens will enjoy Georgia�s �wry observations and self-deprecating humor� (Publishers Weekly). The British slang not only adds to the humorous tone but also makes the reader feel like Georgia is someone they know well � a friend or a close cousin.
All teenage girls will be able to identify with Georgia and will be highly entertained by her embarrassing moments. �Georgia is a wonderful character whose misadventures are not only hysterically funny but universally recognizable� (Booklist).
Amazon.com. 2000. Booklist. Available from http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/0064472272//qid=1095127025/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7775983-
8041564?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews. Accessed 7 September 2004.
Amazon.com. 2000. Publishers Weekly. Available from
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0064472272//qid=1095127025/sr=1-
1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7775983-8041564?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews. Accessed 6
September 2004.
Amazon.com. 2000. School Library Journal. Available from
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0064472272//qid=1095127025/sr=1-
1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7775983-8041564?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews. Accessed 7
September 2004.
