Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Title- Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

Author- Louise Rennison

ISBN- 0-06-447227-2

Publication Information- Harpertempest, New York: 1999

 

Plot Summary- This is the diary of an young British girl, Georgia Nicolson, a 15 year old searching for love and trying to understand her friends, her parents, and her Scottish wild-cat Angus. She struggles with the usual girlfriend issues, appearance issues, and boy issues typical of a 15 year old in any country. She spends her time discovering what is so special about snogging and wonders if her "Sex-God" will ever even notice her. She is also forced to deal with her bizarre father, who moves to New Zealand to take a new job, her odd mother and younger sister who believes "tosser" is a name. All of her adventures are written in her diary- often with multiple entries in a single day.

Critical Evaluation- The novel is often referred to as the teenagers Bridget Jones Diary. This book finds appeal with American teenagers because the problems of the teenage girl clearly cross the Atlantic. She does not like her parents, particularly her nosey mother. She does not know how to kiss a guy and wonders, often aloud with her girlfriends how to know which way to turn her head. She has a falling out with her best friend- over a boy, and has to stand up to peer-pressure from other friends. She feels she is unattractive especially in comparison to her friends. Even though students are often forced to consult the glossary to understand the British slang, they will easily relate to the protagonist. What can be foreign is the setting of the novel and understanding how the British school system works, but students familiar with the Harry Potter stories will be able to work through this confusion. Interestingly, I think because of the epistolary format, it is hard to get a good visual image of the primary character, though the secondary characters and certainly the cat come through loud and clear. The novel has been followed up with at least four others.

Reader's Annotation- What is a girl to do when her cat is attempting to eat the dog next door, her father moves to another country, and she STILL doesn't know how to kiss a boy? Georgia Nicolson shares her diary with us as she journeys through the maze of teenage life.

Author Information- The novel is somewhat autobiographical. Rennison grew up in Leeds and later New Zealand. She is a Renaissance woman. In addition to writing ten novels, she also performs as a stand up comedienne and is acclaimed for her one woman show.

Curricular Ties- none

Genre- confessional literature

Book talking ideas- How do teens deal with parents? Why is this British novel so successful in American?

Challenge issues- Language- but it's all British slang, discussions of Lesbianism

1. Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
   
2. Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
   
3. Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
   
4. Review approaches from ALA
   

Interest Age 14-17

Why I selected this piece- I chose this piece because my librarian swore I would laugh out loud. Several of my students have enjoyed it too. I did not laugh out loud, but I did find the character intriguing enough that I might read the next book in the series.