Startled by His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson)

Grade 7-9–Rennison's angst-filled, dramatic, and smart-aleck heroine is back in her seventh book. Nothing much has changed in her life; Georgia is still tormented by embarrassing parents, an annoying little sister, diabolical cats, and inaccessible boys. This time around, she is an unwilling participant in a school production of Macbeth. She's having a fight with her friend Jas, and the gorgeous Italian, Massimo, is playing hard to get. She is just beginning to realize, though, that the attractive, hard-to-get guys whom she usually goes for may not be for her and that her good friend Dave the Laugh might just deserve a second look. There is nothing new or outstanding about this book compared to the others in the series. Though the teen's phrases like the cakeshop of agony and the bakery of pain are funny at first, the silliness is so heavily layered throughout the novel that it eventually draws away from the action. Except for a new love interest or two, the plot hasn't progressed much since the second book. As usual, the best part is the glossary; some of Georgia's definitions are laugh-out-loud funny. No matter how similar it is to the previous books, however, many teens will want to read each and every Georgia Nicolson story to see what trouble she gets into next.–Stephanie L. Petruso, Anne Arundel County Public Library, Odenton, MD
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