The only reason I actually didn't just stop and not finish it was because I was bored on my vacation and had nothing else to do. Assuming 'chav' is Britspeak for 'bogan', just as the aforementioned Aussie comedic icon magnified and lampooned the teenage culture of the western suburbs (Melbourne and Sydney - or my own Hobart's northern), Grace Dent does the same for Greater London. I'm not gonna give away the plot but any girl (or boy if you really want to read a really girly book) will enjoy it. I'd elaborate on what I liked, but I forgot to update when I finished it - a year ago - and now I've forgotten everything I loved about it, other than the main character's character development was top notch. Dent captures the Chav dialect and cadence (to this American reader, at least) while still making it readable.

It's back to Goodmayes and the cast and characters of the very first Diary of a Chav (Trainers V Tiaras) for this 6th .

This decision does not come without opposition as there are many who believe this to be an unobtainable dream and one that is not suitable for someone like Shiraz, however she continues to persevere despite multiple setbacks and obstacles. But she and her best friend Carrie go to a school frequently referred to as "Superchav Academy" and her mother seems put out by Shiraz' sister, Cava-Sue, who is attempting to better herself by pursuing A-levels at an arts college. Soon she's writing off for college applications and spending the rest of her time trailing after Carrie Draper, who's hellbent on infiltrating the celebrity circuit. Its like putting Kate Plus Eight, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and Sixteen and Pregnant, and Jersey Shore in a blender and getting a very bizarre human being (and yes, I know two of those shows are on MTV but essentially they're almost the same network these days). Through all the chaos of their outwardly dysfunctional families and relationships, love in the end shines through - particularly after Shiraz hilariously achieves one of her seemingly unreachable ambitions.

First loves, what to do at school, what to do after school, whether your big hoop earrings go with your Nike hoodie and high tops. Between 2003-2010, Dent published eleven young adult novels, and was also a presenter on BBC2's The Culture Show, and a magazine and newspaper journalist, including a TV column for the Guardian. She starts out looking like a total airhead, obsessed with fashion and friends, doing okay in school, but not great, and worrying about her non-development in the boobs department and her inability to get along with the "lads" at school.And even though she was an annoying bitch, you wanted to keep reading about her and what awful thing she was going to next. Still, Shiraz and Carrie are lovin' it, even if money is running out and the only jobs on offer seem to be bog cleaning and bottle washing at the local bar . While at first Diary of a Chav seems like a hard knocks version of the Georgia Nicolson series, it's not long before Shiraz's unique voice comes out. She may irritate you at times with her disregard for authority, but in the end, she does choose the right path and you want to cheer for her when she does!

S. version of Diary of A Chav includes a glossary at the back, because for the vast majority of American teens, it would be incomprehensible without one. I really don’t know what Dent was trying to accomplish with this novel, as the theme of rising above one’s situation is rather feeble within this novel. Her high school is referred to by the press as "Superchav Academy" and her parents view higher education as a method of sponging off the government. And since I had an ARC, the book only had about five of the British words in the glossary, while the published copy will have a "full glossary of about 12-16 pages. Figuring what to do with your life, working through friendships, problems with boys, it’s all in there and humorously done.Things get tricky when Shiraz ends up getting a job as PA to a Premier league footballer and his wife - Carrie had her heart set on it and she's furious, but how could Shiraz turn it down?