Startled by His Furry Shorts
is the seventh in the Georgia Nicoloson series, and it is very much as the same
vein as the previous six books.  Georgia, who is still about 15 or 16, is
hoping that the Italian love god Masimo, who now plays in the band the Stiff Dylans,
will agree to be her boyfriend.  She also is still tempted by her friend Dave
the Laugh, who is expert at lip nibbling, but every time they get close, he
backs away.  So Georgia spends most of her time single and pining away, while
her friends have boyfriends.  She even spends some time in her back yard
sitting up a tree looking down on life, because she is so unhappy, even
"on the brink of madnosity."  Fortunately, her friends stand by her
side, and she is able to keep her sense of humor through all her trials and
tribulations. 

All the familiar ingredients are
here: Georgia’s eccentric parents, her baby sister, her vicious cat Angus, her
tempestuous relationship with her best friend Jas, and the group of friends who
call themselves the ace gang and do Viking dances.  If you liked the previous
books in the series and you can stand repetition, then this latest episode,
which covers about a month in Georgia’s life, will be just as satisfying.  The
main virtue of Rennison’s writing is how she gives Georgia such wonderful use
of language.  She has her own names for virtually everything, and she is
creative in her imagery.  She says she doesn’t give "two short flying
pig’s bums" about who or what one of her ex-boyfriends went out with.  She
is irreverent about all her teachers and most boys.  The book would be better
if there was more character development from one book to the next: as an
adolescent, Georgia should be going through plenty of psychological growth. 
However, Georgia’s diary is a fun read, and the glossary at the end of the book
for American readers is bigger and better than ever.

Previous reviews of books in the Georgia Nicolson series

·       
Then He
Ate My Boy Entrancers

·       
Away
Laughing on a Fast Camel

·       
Dancing
in My Nuddypants

·       
Knocked
Out by My Nunga-Nungas

·       
On
the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

·       
Angus,
Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

© 2006 Christian
Perring. All rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Reviews.  His main research is on
philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: Children