Audio of the Week--Girl, 15, Charming but Insane (unabr.)
RSSFrom SLJ February 2005
Jo-Ann Carhart, East Islip (NY) Public Library -- School Library Journal, 02/14/2005
4 cassettes or 5 CDs. 6:23 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape (www.library.booksontape.com). 2004. cassette, ISBN 1-4000-9110-1: $32; CD, ISBN 1-4000-9482-8: $40.
Gr 7-10–This is the spring from hell for Jess Jordan, who fears that her rear end is as big as a “mountain range,” whose best friend, Flora, is near to perfection, and whose sweet, but violence loving grandmother has moved in with her and her anti-war, librarian mother in this humorous novel by Sue Limb (Delacorte 2004). All of that would be bad enough, but Jess proceeds to alienate her long time buddy, Fred, while pursuing her perennial crush, Ben Jones. Of course, Jess is clueless that Fred is really the one for her. The humor comes with madcap events like the party at which Jess shows up with fake boobs filled with Minestrone soup that explode. Needless to say, she gets captured cleaning up the soup by a hidden video camera. Although Jess is British, American students will relate to the universal themes of friendship, loyalty, and responsibility as well as to these memorable characters and their foibles. Katherine Kellgren does an impressive job of creating authentic voices for the unique and varied characters. Both the tongue in cheek humor and the laugh-out- loud moments are well presented. Fans of Louise Rennison, Carolyn Mackler, and Meg Cabot will eat this one up and be anxiously awaiting the sequel.
