Posh and Prejudice

December 1, 2009
Gr 8-11-Shiraz Bailey Wood is a typical British 16-year-old from a working-class family. She waitresses at Mr. Yolk, proudly wears the gaudy bling her boyfriend buys her, and attempts to study, despite her school's bad reputation. Unfortunately, Shiraz is considered a "chav," which is "a bit like calling someone trailer trash." So when she surprisingly passes her exams and is invited to study advanced subjects, she is met with opposition from all sides. She is now hobnobbing with the smart kids, flirting with posh Joshua, and defending her choices to her boyfriend and mother. (Most readers will be shocked that Shiraz's mother pushes a silly part-time job over a college education.) But even Shiraz is guilty of prejudice as she unfairly labels a classmate a charity case. Regardless, the teen is a likable character with wit and charm, but her family is the true scene-stealer, particularly when her mom recounts how Shiraz tried to sell her younger brother at a school auction. Shiraz's diary is full of British slang, and readers are definitely going to need the glossary in the back."Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ"

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