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Fat Hoochie Prom Queen (by Nico Medina)

common sense media says

Fun main character, but lots of teen drinking too.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this book features plenty of drinking and swearing in both English and Spanish. Margarita smokes marijuana and eats junk food including a whole box of Krispy Kreme donuts. There is a gay character who starts having trysts with a guy he barely knows after breaking up with his boyfriend. Also, a parent agrees to host a drunken prom party for Margarita.

Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Madge kisses her crush. A gay character begins having trysts with a bad boy after breaking up with his boyfriend.
Language: Lots of bad words -- in both English and Spanish.
Consumerism: Krispy Kreme donuts, Burger King, McMuffin, MySpace, MapQuest, BMW, Grey Goose, etc.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Margarita drinks to drunkeness (even passing out in a college football stadium). And she and her gay best friend smoke marijuana.

More on Fat Hoochie Prom Queen

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about media -- books, movies, tv shows, etc. -- that feature large girls. Can you think of other examples of female protagonists who don't fit into the typical skinny-girl mold? How many examples can you come up with? Even in this book, Madge's size is definitely part of the plot. Can you think of any media with a big character where weight is not part of the storyline?

What's the story?

What's the story?
During a drunken high school party, Margarita accepts her rival's challenge to run for prom queen. Margarita gets so obsessed with beating Bridget -- a pretty but mean overachiever who also acts on TV -- that she starts to forget all the stuff she likes about her life and her large-and-loud self. But she comes to her senses when she finds out that her former friend is struggling with much more than winning the crown.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Margarita Diaz is different than most prom candidates: She is unapologetically fat, wears outrageous clothes, sometimes with feathers attached -- and can swear like a sailor in both Spanish and English. Also, unlike a lot of queen bee prom wannabes, she is actually nice to everyone. Her energy certainly breathes life into this rather meandering revenge story. Readers may laugh at some of the antics -- like when Madge wakes up to find that she has passed out drunk in a college football stadium next to an empty box of Krispy Kremes -- and they will certainly cheer when she tells off her arch-rival Bridget Benson.

But by the time readers make it towards the end of the book, they may have forgotten what the whole point was. And this is exactly when the author decides to build Bridget's unfortunate -- and rather outrageous -- secret past (which includes a trashy drug-addicted mother who hits on Madge's gay best friend). All this -- of course -- leads to a very-scripted resolution between Madge and Bridget. Ultimately, it's Madge and her ebullient narration that keeps this story afloat. It is a fun enough addition to the prom genre for mature teens, if not a particularly deep one.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Nico Medina
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 6, 2008
Number of pages: 304
Paperback price: $8.99
Read Aloud: 14
Read Alone: 14

This review was written by Kate Pavao
 
 

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poop33
parent of 3 year old
 
poop rocks in this story and pregnancy is a big issue where bridget gets pregnant is really bad but i love it

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age