Girl, Barely 15: Flirting for England

This is a book with a great sense of humor. It's a story about 15-year-old Jess, who lives in England and hosts a French exchange student for two weeks. The basic plot revolves around Jess and how she and her friends react to their temporary French invasion (every student in Jess' French class hosts an exchange student), but the real story is about a young teenager finding her way among her friends, accepting herself, and maneuvering through the usual crushes and teen angst that every girl experiences. What stands out here is that where many girls would wilt in the face of conflict, Jess always holds her ground and is true to herself. In that way, she is quite the role model. This novel is a good introduction for teens and pre-teens into the chick lit genre. Unlike some critics, I like chick lit - usually. The genre is categorized by smart characters, an engaging plot, a smart sense of humor, with a little escapism thrown in. When done right, chick lit novels are reminders that reading is supposed to be fun. Jess is never given a physical description. This allows the reader to imagine herself as Jess. She is not the prettiest or most popular girl in school, but she is pretty enough, she is smart, she is a good friend, and even though she doesn't get the boy she has her eye on, she still remains the heroine of her own story. The one decent teenage boy in the story, who is also the only friend with whom Jess can truly be herself, is sadly a somewhat stock gay male sidekick character. And while Jess has a good relationship with her parents, they are somewhat dim. At times I had to wonder exactly who was parenting whom. But, while Jess' parents aren't the strongest characters, they did share an obvious and genuine affection for their kid, which is nice to see. While the plot is lively and the pacing fast, the real star of this story is the language. Sue Limb has a knack for writing smart, witty dialogue that at times relegates the plot to just details. Read this book for the humor and you won't be disappointed. Reviewed by: Marie Robinson