Girl, 15, Charming but Insane
Life was tragic enough before this spring started. With a distinct lack of boobage and an arse so big that birds of prey could nest within its shadows, Jess Jordan is saddled with the Goddess Flora for a best friend, a Britney Spears look-alike so gorgeous that one grain of her divine dandruff...
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Life was tragic enough before this spring started. With a distinct lack of boobage and an arse so big that birds of prey could nest within its shadows, Jess Jordan is saddled with the Goddess Flora for a best friend, a Britney Spears look-alike so gorgeous that one grain of her divine dandruff could make the blind see again. Jess knows that her soul mate is Ben Jones, a divine mixture of Leonardo diCaprio, Prince William, and Brad Pitt who oozes mystery and charisma. But the campaign to get Ben to notice her brings on a cavalcade of mortification and disaster, including, but not limited to, a minestrone soup explosion that takes place in her bra and a schoolwide viewing of a videotape that features a topless Jess referring to her breasts as “Bonnie” and “Clyde.”Meanwhile, Jess’s death-obsessed Granny moves into her bedroom, along with her grandfather’s remains; her hypochondriac dad, who sends her daily “horrorscopes” like “You will fall asleep with your mouth open, and a family of earwigs will move in,” acts strange about Jess staying with him this summer; and her longtime friend Fred, a television violence addict and closet thumbsucker, has decided that he can’t stand being around her. Jess is determined to make things right . . . but with her offbeat sense of humor and her wildly active imagination, things get complicated along the way.From the Hardcover edition.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780385732154 (0385732155)
Publish date: May 10th 2005
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages no: 240
Edition language: English
Category:
Young Adult,
Childrens,
Teen,
Humor,
Funny,
Comedy,
European Literature,
British Literature,
Realistic Fiction,
Romance,
Contemporary
Series: Jess Jordan (#1)
This is a teen read through and through. The title might seem like an obvious give away, BUT, as my copy's front cover demonstrates, there is also a glittery effect to the page, much like the groovy contact primary school kids put on their workbooks, and it doesn't exactly scream "read with red wine...
Arch and amusing. Limb sometimes seems to be writing for an adult audience. Silly plot that manages to be universal. I read several bits aloud.
I read this book a few years ago, and if I remember correctly I really enjoyed it. I've been considering picking it up again recently, for a little light reading.
On a personal note, I do find it difficult to read books on breast cancer and memoirs of those touched by the disease, be it directly or via a stricken loved one. Having lost my maternal grandmother to this illness, there seems to be an invisible cloud hovering over my head, a constant reminder that...