Limb, Sue. Girl, 15, Charming but Insane. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2004. 224 pages. ISBN-10: 0385732147. ISBN-13: 978-0385732147.Plot:
Jess Jordon is a typical 15-year-old girl who believes that her life is a disaster. Her best friend, Flora, is beautiful, smart, and comes from a perfect family. Jess, by contrast, has a body she dislikes, an absent father, and the tendency to let her mind wander while in class. She also has a crush on popular boy, Brad. After Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend and the three of them start a band, Jess has a chance to get to know Brad. All he wants to do it talk about Flora. In her quest to get to know Brad, Jess looks past her other best friend, Fred. Fred is the one who has always been there for her, from stealing an embarrassing topless video of her that surfaced after a party to letting her stay with him after she and her mother had a blow out. Consumed with her obsession with Brad and her rivalry with Flora, Jess doesn’t fully appreciate Fred until it is too late. After accidentally blowing off his mother’s birthday party because of a family emergency, Jess finds that Fred is no longer speaking to her. As she attempts to fix this situation, Flora reveals to Jess that she likes Fred, which makes Jess jealous. Jess must make up with Fred, figure out her situation with Brad, and deal with Flora, all the while dealing with all the other problems that come with being 15.
Critical Evaluation:
Jess is an incredibly funny narrator. She has a wit and self-deprecating humor that is charming to all audiences, but will especially appeal to teen readers. She’s a very realistic character who has a tendency to make mistakes and end up in embarrassing situations. The reader can both cringe and sympathize when reading about her latest problem. The other characters aren’t quite as well-developed as Jess, but instead read as reflections of her views of them, rather than actual people. This serves well to further Jess’s characterization, however.
The writing is simple and in a style appropriate to the teenage narrator. It isn’t overly flowery, but the author does allow some whimsy appropriate to Jess’s overactive imagination. The plot isn’t complicated or involved but instead just focuses on average events that could easily occur in the life any teenage girl. This isn’t a book that will teach a moral or that is very thought-provoking; it is entertaining. If the reader is in the mood for a cute, light, funny read this is an excellent choice.
Reader's Annotation:
15-year-old Jess has enough to deal with between her too perfect best friend Flora, her absent father and his “horrorscopes,” giving up her room to her death-obsessed grandma, a falling out with her other best friend, Fred, and her undying love for Brad. When Flora starts dating Brad’s best friend, Jess decides now is the time to get Brad to notice her, but is he really the one for her?
Author Information:
Sue Limb was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England in 1946. She attended Cambridge to study English, Elizabethan Poetry, and get her certification in Education. Prior to becoming an author, she spent a decade working on and off as a teacher. She taught Literary Criticism at the college lever and both English and Drama at the secondary level. She also spent a year teaching in a prison. She then spent several years working in radio and television, including adapting her novel Up the Garden Path for both a BBC radio and later ITV as a sitcom. However, what is probably her most well-known work was that of her column in The Guardian written under the pen-name of Dulcie Domum. From 1990-2001, she wrote a humorous column entitled "Bad Housekeeping" about a feminist novelist’s experiences as a rural wife.
Besides writing, she lists several interests on her website including horticulture, agriculture, music, politics, painting, natural history, architecture, and travel. These interests are evident in much of her non-young adult work. She has written close to 30 books for adults and teens. Her writing has won several awards including Book Sense Picks and the School Library Journal award.
Genre:
Chick Lit
Curriculum Ties:
None
Booktalking Ideas:
- Present part of Jess's personals ad monologue.
- Present as Jess talking about her many problems and her love for Brad.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
14 and older
Challenge Issues:
Profanity
Sexual content
Inappropriate language
Challenge Defense Ideas:
- Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
- If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
- Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
- Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.
Reasons for Selection:
It was one of the books I read for our chick lit presentation and I enjoyed it enough to include it here.
