Girl, 15, Charming, but Insane by Sue Limb

Bibliographic Information:

Limb, S. (2004). Girl, 15, charming but insane. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN# 0385902441

Plot Summary:
Jess Jordan has a complicated life. She lives with her peacenik mother who works at the library. She keeps in touch with her father via emails and the odd horoscopes he sends her. Her best friend, Flora, seems perfect: Gorgeous, smart, popular. Her other best friend Fred, whom she’s known since preschool, is the class clown and just wants to watch violent horror movies all day. Jess has a crush on the cutest boy in school, Ben. This crush distracts her from her schoolwork and gets her in trouble with her teachers. To compound all of this, Jess feels inadequate about her body, no cleavage and a big butt. Deciding to make a big impression at a party, Jess enhances her cleavage by stuffing her bra with soup-filled sandwich bags. Her chest looks pretty good until a boy feels her up, bursting one of the bags and getting soup all over both of them. After cleaning up in the bathroom, and talking to her breasts like she always does, Jess finds out that an older boy had a video camera hidden in the bathroom recording not only her naked breasts, but catching her talking to them. What can she do? Everyone has been invited back to view the video and she is the “star.”

Critical Evaluation:
Girl 15 is a fun, quick read. The book adequately portrays the angst of being a teenage girl. Written in the third person, the book could possibly even more effective if it were written in the first person. It is hard not to compare the book to Angus, thongs, and full-frontal snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison. Both books deal with similar subject matter: English girls dealing with growing up, body image, boyfriends, etc. I read Angus first, so that may cloud my judgment, but I found Angus a better read. It could also be that since Girl 15 is written in the third person, it is less like a diary and therefore less relatable. Georgia, the main character in Angus, talks to the reader as if we are friends who haven’t seen each other in some time and she is filling us in on what has happened in the between time. Having Jess’s life described in the third person puts the reader on the outside; the reader isn’t part of the story.

Reader's Annotation:
How can Jess Jordan survive high school when she has no cleavage and a big butt; has a best friend who looks like Brittany Spears and appears perfect in all ways; and has a crush on the cutest boy in school distracting her from her schoolwork and getting her in trouble with her teachers? Perhaps homemade breast enhancers made from plastic sandwich bags and soup will pump up the cleavage and get Jess noticed.

Information about the author:
Sue Limb was born in 1946 in Hitchin, Herts in the United Kingdom. In 1968 she received a BA in English from Newnham College, Cambridge and received her teaching credential from Cambridge in 1972. She has taught seminars in literacy, has taught English and drama, and has even taught at the Pentonville Prison in London. Ms. Limb has been involved in the television series Up the Garden Path, five radio comedy series, and three documentaries on BBC Radio 4 while participating in various other radio programs. In addition to the three other books following Jess Jordan’s life, Ms. Limb has written: Zoe and Chloe: On the Prowl; Ruby Rodgers is a Waste of Space (and two other books about Ruby); and over a dozen other books. She enjoys “natural history, horticulture and agriculture, travel, architecture, music, politics and painting.” http://www.suelimb.co.uk/index.php?id=2

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts; Sociology

Booktalking Ideas:
• Talk about Jess’ relationship with the following people:
o Her father
o Her mother
o Flora
o Ben
o Fred
o Fred’s family
• Discuss how any of the above relationships change?
• Talk about how Jess feels about her physical appearance.
• Discuss the events of the party and Jess’ reaction to them.

Reading Level/Interest Level*:
The widest range according to the reviews is ages 12 and up.

Challenge Issues:
Breast envy; bathroom voyeurism; French kissing (snogging);

If the book is challenged:
• Listen calmly to the complainant.
• Ask if s/he has read the entire novel.
• Show positive reviews of the novel.
• Show the selection policy.
If the complainant still has issues with the book:
• Request that the complainant read the entire book if this has not already occurred.
• Have the complainant fill out a reconsideration form.
• Set up a reconsideration meeting.
o Provide the reconsideration meeting members with:
 Positive reviews
 Selection policy
 Reconsideration policy

Selection Process*:
I did a search on Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database with the following criteria: Award winner, reviews available, and age range from 15 – 18.

Seven positive reviews*

Awards/ Best Books Lists*:
• “Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2006 United States”

“State and Provincial Reading Lists*:
• Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2008; Nominee; Teen Recommended; Arizona
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award, 2006; Nominee; All Teens; Rhode Island
• Tayshas High School Reading List, 2005-2006; Reading List; High School Level; Texas”

“Horn Book Guide*:
• Spring 2005 Older Fiction Rating 3, Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration. “

*Reading/Interest level, selection process information, reviews, and Awards/Best Books Lists were accessed the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database at http://clcd.odyssi.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~IwrWuA:2 accessed through SJSU and not available to everyone.