Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. 1999. ISBN 0060288140.

AWARDS:

Nestlé Children's Book Prize
Branford Boase Award
BBC - The Big Read - Top 200 Books
Michael L. Printz Honor Book.

SUMMARY: Georgia Nicolson is a typical high school student. She lives with her mother, father, and three year-old sister, Libby. She also has a giant cat named Angus that terrorizes the neighbor’s poodle. The story is set in England and follows Georgia though her sophomore year at her all girls’ high school, Latimer and Ridgely. They swoon over the boys at the nearby Foxwood School. Georgia meets the boy of her dreams. The boy likes her also, but through a series of mishaps Georgia doesn’t get the boy. In fact, he won’t even speak to her. Georgia dates several boys through the year, including a boy who gives “snogging” lessons. In the end, after all the misunderstandings, Georgia finally ends up with the boy she has lusted after the whole year. This happens just as her mother tells her they are leaving town for the whole summer. Her reaction, “Sacre bloody bleu and merde!!!”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This hilarious romp through Georgia’s sophomore year of high school is a great read for any student, especially girls. Georgia develops her character through her own diary postings.  The postings are short and concise, so it is perfect for the reluctant reader. This is also one book in a series, so students can continue to read more about Georgia and her antics.

The character, Georgia is a girl anyone would love to have for a friend. Good natured and insecure, she is laugh out loud funny. She is believable and I think girls can connect with her. Her little sister Libby is adorable and you can feel the love between the sisters. Her parents are the stereotypical  embarrassment to her, as parents are to every normal teenager. Her cat Angus is also a great and unexpected character, harassing the neighbor’s poodle.

The plot is believable and contains three important themes.  The first is Georgia's insecurity with her looks.  The second is her passion for finding the perfect boyfriend. The third is her passion for her friends. Doing well in school is an afterthought.  Her social life is the most important thing to Georgia.  I think these traits are typical for most teenagers and make the story real. 

The setting for the story is England, and it is great fun using the glossary at the end to find out what the English slang words throughout the novel mean. I  also liked that she told the reader about the glossary at the end of the book, in the preface. The setting in England is also important, because teenagers everywhere can see that the things they desire and worry about are universal.

Georgia's great personality and her insecurity make her diary a joy to read. I came to love Georgia, and it brought me back to my high school days, which unfortunately are far gone.

CONNECTIONS: One way to get students involved in the book could be for them to right a glossary of their own slang, or go through Georgia’s glossary and translate her words into American slang. Students could also write their own Six Things That Are Very Wrong with My Life. Students could also discuss the similarities and differences between English high schools and their students and American teenagers.

REVIEWS:

Publishers Weekly:

“British writer Rennison's subject matter may be the stuff of Bridget Jones's Diary, but the wit and bite of her delivery shares more in common with Monty Python. In a spectacular YA debut (Rennison is a comedy writer and columnist), the author creates a winning protagonist in the persona of 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson, whose wry observations and self-deprecating humor covers everything from prudish parents and bed-wetting three-year-old siblings to errant cat behavior and kissing (aka snogging) lessons. Teens will discover that nothing is sacred here (e.g., "Talking of breasts, I'm worried that I may end up like the rest of the women in my family, with just the one bust, like a sort of shelf affair"). Rennison exquisitely captures the fine art of the adolescent ability to turn chaos into stand-up comedy. For instance, when Georgia's father finds a new job in New Zealand, the teen says she's already formed her opinion of the country based on the TV show Neighbors; when her mother says, "Well, that's set in Australia," Georgia thinks, "What is this, a family crisis or a geography test?" Written as diary entries, the novel flouts the conceit, as when Georgia reports on a tennis match that she's playing concurrently ("I fall to my knees like McEnroe and the crowd is going mad"). The author bio indicates that Rennison is working on two more Georgia books; readers can only hope this heroine will keep them laughing all the way through high school.”

School Library Journal:

“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.”

RESOURCES:

Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. 1999.

Georgia Nicolson Fan Club
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/georgia-nicolson/images/1703925/title/robbie-georgia-photo

Georgia Nicolson website

http://www.georgianicolson.com/meet.html

Fantastic Fiction/Louise Rennison website
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/louise-rennison/

Image by Google Images.