Girl; 15; Charming But Insane [Paperback]

Sue Limb has spun a beautifully realistic story about the trials of being a teenaged girl. Jess, the narrator, is spunky, witty, and trying to find her place in the world. Her adventures and her take on life cracked me up and reminded me so much of my own experiences.

Jess has trials relating to boys and balancing her friendship with Flora with the fact that Flora always seems to one-up her in any situation. The fine line between loving your best friend and wanting to rip her head off because she is better at everything is portrayed beautifully. On the boys front, you know Jess is headed for disaster when, instead of purchasing a "gel bra," she makes her own at home with minestrone soup and some baggies. Drama ensues, but it isn't at all predictable and it turns out in an unexpected way.

This is a British book, so American readers will have to adjust a bit to the slang, which I found endearing. The characters in here aren't goody two-shoes, but they are basically good kids, and this book is appropriate for any younger reader.

Sue Limb does an excellent job on her first teen book, Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. It is an extremely addictive story that I whizzed through, wanting more, not realizing it was a whole 214 pages long! This teen book that I would recommend for teens is hilarious, frustrating, heart-warming and smile-acious, because even though the narrator tells it from a third-person viewpoint, one really can get to know Jess Jordan, the main character.

Jess is a 15-year old teen living in England with her radical feminist mother who is constantly passionately preaching against war or Jess's crushes. Jess's goofy dad is divorced from her mother and lives on the coast of a sea, a place of residence where Jess hopes to visit someday. The twosome's household gets crazier when `Granny' moves in, a sweet-as-a-muffin grandmother who, ironically, loves hearing about gruesome news events involving slain body parts. I think Jess's family was a great foundation for the book, because the members each have their own quirks yet they get along very well. Jess's best friend, Flora, is, well, perfect. Or so Jess thinks. Flora's family is very rich and live under `heavenly', lavish conditions. Jess and Flora's relationship greatly reflects many relationships of today's teens, because the feelings of jealously, resentment, and flusters of sheer anger come bluntly through Jess's thoughts. Jess also has a loyal friend named Fred, whom she has fun with jokingly speaking in old English. Fred is a sharp-witted young man that seems to have a birds-eye view of the way people act, and he would rather watch something very violent on TV than go to a clique-filled party. I believe that Jess and Fred have an awesome relationship in that they feel completely comfortable around each other just being friends. Jess is a stereotypical teenager with thoughts that the average teenage girl has, such as chest size and boy crazes.

Things get interesting when a party goes wild and Jess ends up walking home in painful platforms and a wet bra. It's great how Limb shows many negative things that can happen in a girl's life to balance out the good things. Flora becomes swept away by a curly brown-haired, poet-looking boy named Mackenzie and she somewhat deserts Jess, which is an exact reflection of how young people can come to forget their own best friends when caught up in puppy love. Jess is head-over-heels for a Brad Pitt look-a-like named Ben Jones.

Limb made me feel like I was Jess, because her descriptions of everything were so humanlike; I could imagine myself thinking some of the things that Jess thought, such as the battles she has with her self-consciousness and her lusty desires to be with Ben. This book wonderfully displays what it is like to be a teenage girl and how one deals with the hardships that come along with high school and the opposite sex.

A shocking ending, partially predictable, however, is sweet and sour, and will make readers yearn for more. The girls' crushes change and I can see that things are going to get sticky for Jess. Luckily for all teens, this book is the first of a trilogy!

When I reached the last page I exclaimed, "What?! It can't be over! I have so many questions!" Limb must have purposely not included the answers to such questions as, `What will happen between Jess and Flora?' and `Why did Jess's parents split up, and does her mom still love her dad?' to continue in her upcoming novels.

All in all, this is a knee-slapping book that effortlessly caused me to perform the act of laughing out loud and continually interrupting my friend to read her the funny parts. I recommend it to those who want a bright story and a true smile for the day.

This book is pure brilliance. I have never read a book funnier than this one. Of course, for Americans, you'll have to adjust to a few British English words here and there, but that's no problem. This book deals with semi-realistic issues in a very humorous manner. I'd definitely recommend it to teen girls, and heck, mothers might even enjoy reading it, too!

-Courtney

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