Module 15: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Rennison, L. (2000). Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. New York: Harper Collins.

Summary
In this light-hearted novel, Georgia relays her life in diary style. She talks of her crazy cat, her friend and family situation and her crush on a handsome older boy. With language filled with British colloquialisms (and even a glossary of terms in the back of the book), teens will enjoy this funny story about growing up.

My Impressions
This was not one of my favorite reads but still a fun, light book that teens may enjoy. Its witty passages reminded me of a teen's version of Bridget Jones's Diary. I was very surprised that this book has been challenged as the story seems pretty innocuous. While there is a disturbing aspect to this story, Georgia is only fourteen and the boy she loves is seventeen, the rest of the book is reflective of the normal antics of a teenager. Compared to many other books out there, this book is fairly tame. This was a book that I would compare to cotton candy. Fun to read in the short-term but with no real lasting taste or impression.

Professional Reviews
Gr 7-9-This is the hilarious Bridget Jones-like diary of 14-year-old Georgia, who has a rather wild cat named Angus, a three-year-old sister who pees in her bed, and a best friend who is in love with the vegetable seller's son. Georgia discusses kissing (snogging) lessons, which she needs because she has just met the "Sex God" of her dreams; what to wear to parties and school; and how to spy on your crush's girlfriend (this is where thongs come into play). In typical teen manner, Georgia lives in her own world; she thinks she is ugly, is convinced that her parents are weird, positively abhors schoolwork, and has a deep desire to be beautiful and older. Yet she still has time to enjoy the mad antics of her cat and indulge her odd but sweet sister. It will take a sophisticated reader to enjoy the wit and wisdom of this charming British import, but those who relish humor will be satisfied. Fresh, lively, and engaging. --School Library Journal, Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR, 2000. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)

Gr. 6^-9. American readers wondering what on earth "full-frontal snogging" is will find the answer in the helpful (and hilarious) glossary appended to this antic diary of a year in the life of an English girl named Georgia Nicolson. Snogging is, simply, "kissing with all the trimmings," and it's much on 14-year-old Georgia's mind these days. For even though she's still reeling from her devastatingly bad decision to go to a party dressed as a stuffed olive, she has fallen in love with an older man (he's 17), a Sex God named Robbie. The trouble is, S. G. is dating a girl named Lindsay who--brace yourself--wears a thong. Honestly, how wet (idiotic) can you get! In the meantime, life on the home front is spinning out of control. Dad has gone to New Zealand in search of a better job, and pet cat Angus, who can usually be spotted stalking the neighbor's poodle, has gone missing. Although performer and comedy writer Rennison clearly owes a large debt to Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary (1998), her Georgia is a wonderful character whose misadventures are not only hysterically funny but universally recognizable. This "fabbity, fab, fab" novel will leave readers cheering, "Long live the teen!" and anxiously awaiting the promised sequel. --Booklist, Michael Cart, 2000. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)

Suggested Use in Library
This would be a good book to recommend to teenage girls who enjoy a light read to distract them from their everyday problems. This is fun, escapist reading and fans of the Gossip Girl books will enjoy this book as well. And if they enjoy this book, they can continue reading about Georgia's adventures in subsequent novels.

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SLIS 5420/Module 15
Censorship Issues
December 6-9, 2010