Startled by His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson) by Louise Rennison Grades 7-9 288 pages HarperTeen April 2006 Hardcover     Your vocabulary will expand in ways you didn’t think possible. Georgia Nicolson and her friends definitely enjoy themselves with words - stretched-out, altered, and invented words, all of which are throughout this diary and listed in the back in a convenient glossary. In this, Georgia Nicolson’s seventh diary, she’s waiting out the longest week of her life. That is when Masimo will let Georgia know if he wants to go out with her or not, a question that has consumed her life. Feelings for Dave the Laugh and Robbie still sneak in, though, from time to time, causing her more confusion. Her best friend, Jas, is focusing on Tom and practicing her own lip exercises. After all, Jas doesn’t want a repeat of what happened the last time she and Tom kissed. Georgia’s friend Rosie is dreaming and planning for a Viking wedding. Georgia hates that nobody, not even her friends, can sense her pain. Other people are causing her needless pain, too. Georgia’s bedroom still seems to have a revolving door on it. Her mom, dad, and little sister Libby come in whenever they want. In this book, Georgia’s mom dispenses her own unique blend of advice, her dad continually embarrasses her (this time with an instance involving fire and facial hair), and her little sister, along with the cats, continues to mess with Georgia’s head. Georgia asks, “Is it normal to be able to snack on Rice Krispies from your little sister’s head?” Well, what do you expect from a little sister who puts cats in the fridge and baked beans in the piggy bank? Poor Angus, that odd cat, has developed a taste for - well, something inedible;, at least inedible to maybe everything except a goat. Bison horns and the new Viking wedding disco inferno dance seem to be the only sources of happiness in Georgia’s life right now. And her mind is occasionally pre-occupied with playing Macduff in the MacUseless production at school. Tom has been doing a little detective work for Georgia all throughout the book. He comes to learn of a huge surprise awaiting Georgia - a shocker which will be revealed only if she goes to the Stiff Dylan’s gig, something Georgia has sworn off. Louise Rennison, the bestselling and award-winning author of the Georgia Nicolson Confession Diaries, once again plays with Georgia’s heart and mind in some merciless ways. Her family is getting crazier, Angus is becoming not of this world, her friends are becoming wackier with their new interests. But mostly, as always, it is the guys in her life causing her enormous amounts of agony. Fortunately she can write in these diaries, a place where she can vent safely, work her feelings out - and give the fans a dose of her reality.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)