Synopsis
Chav: (n.) A British insult for white working-class people fixated on street fashions derived from American hip-hop such as imitation gold and fake designer clothing, e.g.,"It's a bruv who wears crap clothing and manky gold jewelry, innit?"
16-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood's days are filled with hoodies, hip-hop, and hanging around outside Claire's Accessories. Her parents work crap jobs and her school is pretty much chav central. There's not much goin' on in the world of this lovable dreamer, and having a brain and a heart of gold only makes it worse. Shiraz loathes being called a chav because she may be poor but she's not trashy, but she can't do much about it-yet. Shiraz is beginning to feel there's a lot more to life than minimum wage and the bling of a souped-up Vauxhall Nova.
Told in diary entries over the course of a year attending the unfortunately named "SuperChav Academy" (where she'll do anything to prove she's not a chav), Shiraz's insanely funny voice and spirited narrative shows there is always a way to rise above any obstacle.
VOYA
Sixteen-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood lives in contemporary working-class England. She and her schoolmates are mocked as "chavs," a British insult for white, blue-collar people who are fixated on fashions derived from American hip-hop, such as imitation gold jewelry and fake designer clothing. Her grandmother, who sees hidden depths in Shiraz, gives her a diary for Christmas, and tells her to write down her secret hopes and wishes. Over the course of a year, as her diary entries show, Shiraz meets an encouraging teacher, falls for a boy, splits from and reunites with her dearest friend, gets into minor trouble, starts her first job, watches as her sister moves out after a large family row, and contrives a wacky solution to bring her family together again. The writing is meant to be the journaling of a smart girl hiding her brains from the world, but it is so full of British slang and poor grammar that it is almost unreadable. A glossary is provided at the back to help readers unfamiliar with the jargon, and this reviewer found herself flipping to it time and again. Because the reader never gets to see Shiraz's intellect, which is only revealed through the comments of other characters, when it finally comes out, it is unbelievable. There is never a doubt that the book will have a happy ending, so there is no narrative drive. If teens are looking for good, diary-style reads, offer work by Louise Rennison or Sonya Sones instead. Reviewer: Geri Diorio