Rennison, Louise. Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas. New York: Harpertempest. 2001. ISBN: 0-06-623656-8
Plot Summary:
Georgia Nicolson is an English teen who is into fashion, friends, and what she calls her sex-god boyfriend, Robbie. Georgia’s parents make her go on a family vacation while she is suspended from school. The family spends their time in rural Scotland and it is torture for the teen protagonist who is much more comfortable in urban settings. She is also away from her boyfriend which causes her all manner of grief. When Georgia returns to England, she finds that she is not able to spend much time with her boyfriend because he is out of town often touring with his band and trying to get a record contract. He is older and their relationship is something of a secret. One of Georgia’s ex-boyfriends, Dave, who is currently seeing Georgia’s best friend runs into Georgia and the two end up kissing. Georgia starts liking Dave again and finds herself very confused. She does not know what to do, to continue a relationship with the largely absent Robbie, or to steal Dave back from her friend, or to see both boys on the sly.
Critical Evaluation:
There is a glossary of terms in the back of the book for those readers who may not be familiar with British teen slang; the glossary is very much needed. I found the book hard to get through just because of the slang used by the protagonist; the book is written like a journal and cannot escape the use of many of the terms. The language is obviously supposed to be part of the charm, and indeed, once one figures it out the book is that much more enhanced by its presence. The book is fairly humorous and would find a wide appeal with teen girls. The book tackles such issues as complicated relationships, questioning authority, physical relationships, and family. The issues are wrapped in humor and it does not have any sense of the dramatic about it. Some of the terms and situations may find critics among readers.
Reader’s Annotation:
Georgia is forced to go off to Scotland on a Family vacation and be away from her boyfriend. When she returns she has to deal with relationship issues by maintaining a comical outlook which readers will find entertaining.
Information about the author:
Louise Rennison was born in England and spent her formative years to the age of 15 in Yorkshire. At 15, her family moved to New Zealand. Rennison returned to England and attended Brighton University. Although she is perhaps best known as a writer for teen audiences, she has written comedy for the BBC and writes for a number of comedians and radio shows in Britain. This author won the Queen of Teen Award in 2008.
Rennison has done a number of comedy routines herself, mostly based on autobiographical incidents. She draws on events from her own life for material for her Georgia Nicolson books. There are ten books in the Nicholson series, which have found appeal with teens and adults in both Britain and other nations.
Genre:
Chick Lit/ Comedy
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Focus on the language used in the book and how it adds to/detracts from the piece.
2. Discuss the complicated relationships the main character finds herself in, and how these are representative of real teen relationships.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues: language/adult situations/smoking
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
The book was a New York Times Bestseller and it deals with a situation other than the typical American setting/language one finds in many YA titles.
Author Website:
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