Parents' Guide to

Diary of a Chav

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Brit girl makes good in this slang-heavy charmer.

Book Grace Dent Coming of Age 2008
Diary of a Chav Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Nameera
Nameera Adult
January 31, 2012
age 18+

warning

hey kids this is not for you don't read it even i don't like to read this kind of books!!!!!!!!!!

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
CommonSenseParent
CommonSenseParent Parent
November 30, 2010
age 17+

Horrible book series for teens

Grace Dent pens a poorly written novel, filled with all the things you don't want your children exposed to. The book is awash with graphic sexual descriptions and bad messages for teens. Only British people will enjoy and understand it. F-

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Shiraz gets a diary for Christmas instead of an iPod, but she dives in anyway, detailing her life in a working-class British suburb, with friends who are often in trouble at school and in town. Mouthy Shiraz plans to go work at a sporting goods store when she's done with school, but a pushy teacher, a driven sister -- and her own experiences with the real world -- encourage her to dream a bit bigger. But even as she begins to achieve, Shiraz never loses her spirit, or forgets her roots, from her obnoxious but loving family to her friends at the derisively nicknamed "Superchav Academy."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (11):

Shiraz is an unlikely young adult heroine; a working-class girl who hangs out with hoodlums, and who dreams of finishing school and working in a sporting goods store. If she's not picked up for a reality show that is. But readers will quickly realize that behind her mouthy, insulting comments, there is a really smart, funny -- and caring -- girl who will eventually find a bigger dream. But while there is a good lesson here, this is certainly not a serious book. There are plenty of outrageous moments: To fix her fighting family, for example, Shiraz writes a letter that lands them on a British talk show. (In her letter she complains that her mother doesn't want her to continue her education, even though Shiraz now wants a good job "where…I don't have to pull mashed rats' feet out of lamb kofta all day and go home smelling of a dead sheep's bumhole.")

Readers may not always understand Shiraz's world -- or her slang-filled language -- but the will find themselves laughing at her spirited antics and often brutal honesty. And they will be surprisingly moved by her transformation into someone who wants something more from life than an iPod and golf hoop earrings. Especially because she figures out a way to grow up without forgetting her roots.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about British media. What other British music, TV shows, books, and movies have you been exposed to? How does it compare (or contrast) to American-made stuff? How would you define the difference in the senses of humor?

Book Details

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