Does Snogging Count as Exercise? (review)
2007; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2007.0811
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: Does Snogging Count as Exercise? Deborah Stevenson Salter, Helen Does Snogging Count as Exercise? Simon Pulse, 2007 [256p] Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-4169-3801-9$5.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-9 Poor Holly. She's fourteen with no romantic experience whatsoever, and it shows ("I shouldn't have been allowed to deal with boys unaided, without a guide or a textbook"). She's also got a crush on her best friend's older brother, Luke; what's more, said best friend, Poppy, seems to be drifting into a friendship with glamorous, manipulative Claudia, while Holly's athletic family thinks that bookish Holly could improve her outlook if she'd just suit up and join the family games. Enlivened by lists ("Things Boys Are Useless At"), a periodically redesigned "Who-Likes-Who Chart," and a practical understanding of the necessity of texting to get through the teenage day, Holly's narration ripples with humor from start to finish as she negotiates the pitfalls of school, family, and peer relationships. Though it has some of the appeal and British charm of Rennison's Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (BCCB 5/00), this novel is ultimately kinder to its characters, who resist the rom-com temptation to be two-dimensional (even the dastardly Claudia has other facets that keep her from being simply Holly's antagonist) and who undergo a little growth as well as obtaining snogging opportunities. Holly's youthfulness for her age will make her sympathetic to younger readers, who will be as pleased as she is with her eventual kiss with Luke. This is satisfying entry-level chick lit with hope and wisdom as well as froth. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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