Diary of a Chav, Grace Dent

Dent, Grace (2008).
Diary of a Chav
New York: Little Brown
9780316034838
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Shiraz tries to imagine a life for herself beyond the limited expectations of family and peers in her working-class English neighborhood.
______________________________________

Done in diary form as Shiraz has received a diary from her grandmother for Christmas, the author presents us with a very strong and realistic teen voice in the form of Shiraz. Through her diary entries, we see Shiraz and her family and friends for what they are ....“Chavs” (Chavs are the British term for what Americans would call "trailer trash"). But slowly through the persistence of a new English teacher, Shiraz begins to realize that she is capable of much more than smart ass remarks she makes in class. Interestingly, the change comes about realistically with set backs and Shiraz questioning herself and her teacher along the way. It is mostly a two week stint at a food processing plant that causes Shiraz to open her eyes and see what her life would be like if she did not stay in school to further her education and increase her chances of making a better life for herself. Light-hearted at times, Diary of a Chav is pure entertainment; the cover begs the reader to pick it up and check it out!

Prom, Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2005).
Prom.
New York: Viking.
0670059749
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Chick-Lit

Eighteen-year-old Ash wants nothing to do with senior prom, but when disaster strikes and her desperate friend, Nat, needs her help to get it back on track, Ash's involvement transforms her life.
_______________________________________
Starred in Booklist, Anderson’s Prom offers a warm and amusing story about practical eighteen- year-old Ashley who lives in a working class Philadelphia town that is obsessed with the prom. The catch is Ashley is completely anti-prom; she’s more focused on graduating and getting an apartment with her nineteen-year-old boyfriend, TJ who happens to be a high-school drop out. In an authentic voice, Ashley shares the details of her humdrum and, at times, mortifying life: her job as a character at EZ-CHEEZ-E, her gorgeous but loser boyfriend TJ, her wacky family, including her pregnant mom. When the math teacher at her high school steals the prom fund and Ashley’s prom-obsessed best friend Nat breaks her leg, the true bonds of friendship become clear: Ashley pairs up with Nat (who heads the prom committee) to make prom happen in just eleven days! If that isn’t enough, Ashley’s detentions and grades may keep her from attending the prom she is so desperately trying to plan. Anderson’s energetic, quick-paced novel is sure to keep anti-prom and pro-prom readers enthralled as they witness Ashley’s heroic behavior and success at saving the prom. Readers will appreciate Ashley’s realistic perspective as she realizes that living with her boyfriend is not her only option after high school. Young adults will enjoy this modern, realistic, fun take on a fairy tale.