Review: Ugly Shy Girl

Book: Ugly Shy Girl
Author: Laura Dockrill
Publication Date: May 2009
Pages: 96

Summary (From Good Reads):

'The characters are funny, endearing and completely original. Laura has a wonderfully wild and exciting imagination!she defies boundaries.' Kate Nash.
 'Laura Dockrill is a singular talent in the rave new world world of poetry. Comparison to others would do her no justice. Bright, funny, intelligent and passionate, this is a book you should already be taking away from the shop...' Phill Jupitus.
 You might have known somebody like Ugly Shy Girl once! You might have seen her bumping into lamp-posts and tripping over her school bag. She wears a denim skirt down to her ankles and a second-hand Naf Naf jacket. Her hair hangs down in front of her face and her nails are bitten and sore. She is always doing or saying completely the wrong thing. This is a twisted tale is about the struggle of growing up in a place where you don't belong, surrounded by people you hate and how delicious getting your own back can be.


My Thoughts:


I loved this book. It was a lovely quick read. The characters leaped off the page, I LOVED Abigail (ugly shy girl) I thought she was so cute and shy. I also loved the character of Jade of course :D She was super cool and an amazing friend to Abigail! The illustrations were amazingly quirky and I LOVED the illustrations of Abigail. I loved the way we were able to see her face as she gradually gained confidence. The characters were so realistic it was amazing. I thought that the way the book was structured, with the events of what happened on the day told in 3rd person and then the diary entries retelling the events with Abigail's true feelings was very clever. I loved the way the book ended, I was really smiling. Especially how the author incorporated herself into it. (for example in the book the author says: Let me see how I can end this. I need to finish this off quick I have a gathering at 5). The ending had me re reading it at least 4 times, it was beautifully un expected. I would recommend this book to teenagers who have a difficult time at school to show you you aren't alone and that things can get better!


Food Rating: 7/8
Page Rating: 4/5