Louise Rennison - Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging

+HarperCollins UK
+Amazon India
+Kindle Store

We are more eager to teach children how to obtain knowledge.  Go to school and turn into perfect scholars which will, in turn, help them to earn good money and live their lives in a bliss (or not) that mirrors our own.

We want them to turn into Mini-Me.  Or perhaps Mini-Obama or, at least, Mini-Raghuram Rajan.  In short, we want them to achieve all that we did not.

Teenagers have their own angst to deal with, thank you very much.  For instance, their body images, a boyfriend, dealing with peer pressure, trying to have fun. Even learning how to snog properly.

Georgia Nicolson is fourteen and wants to know all about life.  How does one trim a bushy uni-brow.  How does one look grown up when one is thin and gawky. How does one smile without spreading the nose too much.

Her best friend, Jas is snapped up by the grocery store guy, Tom.  Georgia is smitten by his older brother, Robbie, but he already has a girlfriend.

Her father has to move to New Zealand to look for a job.  Her mother seems to like the decorator, Jem, a bit too much.  Her little sister Libby is a pain, she leaves used nappies in Georgia's bed. Her cat, Angus, is a wild beast that dogs shrink from.

The book is full of hilarious episodes that start from page 1 and end when the book ends.  The book is written in form a diary, hence the word 'Confessions' is used in description of the book.

Most importantly, you don't have to be a teenager to enjoy this book.

There were concerns about the smattering of homophobia in the book.  It may not be entirely politically correct but it does reflect the immature thoughts of a teenager.  She also has some nasty thoughts about her parents, which are probably normal for  a self-centered Teen.

There are a series of books about the confessions of Georgia Nicolson.  Gurinder Chadda made a film titled 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'.  The film takes liberties with the book a lot and sort of waters it down.  It is an enjoyable film but not a patch on the book which is just fabulous.