Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: A day in the life

Image created on www.wordle.com

This is a book about Georgie, a boy-crazy, self-conscious, British teenager. It offers a real look at how young girls feel, what they think about, and how they see themselves and others. It is written in a diary style, so the reader gets a full, honest look into Georgie's mind. The text is witty at times, and of course the story is being narrated by a young teenager so it is overly dramatic as well. One of the book's downfalls, however, is that it would most likely only interest girls about the same age as the main character, and not many others.

The story spans one school year for Georgie, but it didn't feel like she developed much as a character over that period of time. The only thing she really gained was experience with boys, and even that was stereotypical. She didn't learn much in any of her “relationships,” and was overly conscious of her appearance all the time. Obviously, this is what is important to many girls at that age, but Georgie was by no means a good model to go by. Girls would certainly be able to relate to her well, but because she comes off as very shallow, it could also negatively impact what they understand to be "normal" thoughts and actions.

Watch the movie trailer from www.youtube.com below:

By the end of the book, Geiorgie didn’t have any revelations about how she should be confident in who she was, or that it was more important who she was rather than how she looked. Girls reading this book could get a negative message from it--that everyone is self conscious about their looks, and all we can do is stress about it all the time and try to impress other people. Even the boys in the book were categorized in a similar manner: by looks. Georgie and her friends were constantly judging guys by their looks or kissing ability only, and didn’t pay as much attention to who they were as people. Again, this is how it is for most girls at that age, but the book would have been greatly improved if it had included deeper messages about the value of people as people and not simply objects.

A clear theme does emerge from the story--that society has an impact on young girls, and can make them feel like they must conform. The text didn't express whether this was a good or a bad thing, rather it simply explored the idea and its impact. Most women and girls have felt this pressure at some point in their lives and have had to decide whether to conform or fight it. You have only to walk in downtown Boise, poke your head in a local coffee shop, or take a trip to the mall to see plenty of women who have faced, or are facing that challenge. This is where trends and fads come from, but also where originality can stem--from refusal to conform. Each woman just has to decide how they will react.

For more info: 

Check this book out from Boise Public Library

Rent the movie, Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging  from one of Boise's Red Box locations

Read a synopsis of the Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging