Publishers Weekly
Girl, Going on 17, Pants on Fire by Sue Limb hones in on Jess Jordan, introduced as the Girl, 15, Charming but Insane (which PW said was "sure to leave readers in stitches"). The day before school starts, Fred proposes that he and Jess only be seen together at school "in disguise," and things just go downhill from there. The previous title, Girl, Nearly 16 Absolute Torture, is now in paperback. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature
- Cindy L. Carolan
Sometimes bad things happen in groups of three, or is it four or five? For Jess, it seems that the number of unfortunate events is infinite. First, Fred, the almost perfect boyfriend with whom she spent a most wonderful summer, breaks up with her right before school starts! Second, her mother (who is divorced; dad turned out to be more comfortable in a relationship with a man than a woman) starts going out with the Japanese gentleman she is attempting to tutor. Third, an evil witch in the form of a new English teacher has taken it upon herself to make Jess' life miserable and places her in detention for the rest of her foreseeable life. If that's not enough, the love god of the school suddenly takes a liking to Jess, but as she is so confoundedly heartsick over Fred, she doesn't even care! Thankfully Jess has a cool best friend who is always there for her and an even cooler granny (who is obsessed with homicide shows on TV) to help her figure out how the talent show she and Fred were going to do can still go on if a) they are splittsville, and b) he has a part in the boring old Shakespeare play. Includes lots of goofy British humor and is a nice clean read. Part of the "Jess Jordan" series of books (including the titles Girl, 15, Charming but Insane and Girl, Nearly 16: Absolute Torture) from this author who has written numerous books for children and adults. She lives in England in a rural part of Gloucestershire on an organic farm. Highly recommended.
VOYA
- Lois Parker-Hennion
In this hilarious sequel to Girl 15, Charming But Insane (Delacorte, 2004/VOYA August 2004), and Girl, (Nearly) 16, Absolute Torture (2005/VOYA October 2005), the all-too-human heroine Jess is now approaching her seventeenth birthday, and a new school year is about to begin. After spending a delightful summer holiday with her boyfriend, Fred, they get into a huge argument (or, as the British say, a "row") on the day before the new school term, and although Jess is certain that Fred should apologize so that they can make up, days, weeks, and eventually even months pass, and he ignores her completely. Jess's plans to create comedy skits with Fred for the Christmas show are ruined, and to make matters worse, she learns that the comedy show has been cancelled by the new teacher, Miss Thorn, who insists on performing Twelfth Night instead. Miss Thorn is quite unreasonable and does not appreciate Jess's tardiness nor her sense of humor. In an effort to avoid embarrassing situations, Jess leaves school, forges a note, and tells a series of lies that results in being assigned to detention in Mr. Powell's office. Jess is a typical British teenager and readers will identify with her insecurities and laugh out loud at the situations she ends up in. Fans of the author's previous books and other stories about British teen girls, such as Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicolson, are sure to like this book and will hope for another installment as Jess turns eighteen.
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-Ever since Jess Jordan surprised readers by stuffing bags of minestrone soup down her bra to create the perfect filler in Girl, 15, Charming but Insane (Delacorte, 2004), the laughs haven't stopped. This third book about the teen does not disappoint. Jess's boyfriend, Fred, is great. Her best friend, Flora, is super supportive. She gets along with her librarian mom and she has made peace with the fact that her father is gay and living in Cornwall with his lover. In fact, she keeps planning out how to best introduce that newly unearthed fact once school starts. On the last day of break, Fred suggests that perhaps they can keep their relationship a secret so as not to ruin his reputation as a loner. An incensed Jess abruptly rushes home, knowing that Fred will call to apologize shortly. He never does. In addition to starting out the school year with this black cloud, Jess's favorite teacher has been replaced by a woman who takes an immediate dislike to her. As Jess muddles through the first few weeks of school without Fred, she finds herself in nonstop odd predicaments that will keep readers entertained. Another fun, funny tale of teen angst, British style.-Emily Garrett, Naaman Forest High School, Garland, TX Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Things could not possibly get any better for Jess. Madly in love with Fred, and still reeling from an exciting holiday, she is almost looking forward to starting back to school when Fred ruins it all by telling her he is not sure about taking their relationship public. Things go from bad to worse when school starts the next day. Jess's favorite teacher is out for the semester, replaced by an angry first-time instructor. As if that's not enough, Jess's mother decides to start dating, her granny feels ill and Jess somehow keeps losing parts of her wardrobe at inopportune moments. This third installment in the story of Jess's tumultuous life follows the same rollicking trail, finding her stumbling into trouble again and again only to stumble out a few pages later. This one will surely satisfy old fans and will encourage new ones to laugh along. Silly fun. (Fiction. 10-14)
