Diary of a Chav [Hardcover]

Grace Dent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Series: Diary of a Chav

Chav: (n.) A British insult for white working-class people fixated on street fashions derived from American hip-hop such as imitation gold and fake designer clothing, e.g.,"It's a bruv who wears crap clothing and manky gold jewelry, innit?"

16-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood's days are filled with hoodies, hip-hop, and hanging around outside Claire's Accessories. Her parents work crap jobs and her school is pretty much chav central. There's not much goin' on in the world of this lovable dreamer, and having a brain and a heart of gold only makes it worse. Shiraz loathes being called a
chav because she may be poor but she's not trashy, but she can't do much about it-yet. Shiraz is beginning to feel there's a lot more to life than minimum wage and the bling of a souped-up Vauxhall Nova.

Told in diary entries over the course of a year attending the unfortunately named "SuperChav Academy" (where she'll do anything to prove she's not a chav), Shiraz's insanely funny voice and spirited narrative shows there is always a way to rise above any obstacle.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7–9—In this slangy, journal-style novel, Shiraz Bailey Wood, 15, lives in Essex and attends Mayflower Academy (generally known as Superchav Academy). She's a slacker at school and is behind much of the drama surrounding its official events (such as the fight that broke out at the Winter Festival). Everything is fine, though, until her best friend finds a new love interest and pushes Shiraz into the background; her sister and mother have a fight and Cava-Sue moves out; and a new, tough teacher comes to Mayflower Academy. Suddenly everything Shiraz knows is turned upside down and the only person she can tell is her new diary. This novel is packed with British slang and pop-culture references to the point of confusion. (A 14-page glossary is included.) Still, the plot is universal, proving that teenagers are the same worldwide. Shiraz is a witty and amusing narrator, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments.—Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The closest Dent’s American audience has come to a chav is likely Ali G, and he’s not even real, bruv. Shiraz “Shizza” Bailey Wood is not a chav. So what if she wears pink velour sweat suits, listens to hip-hop, and earned her school the title of “Super Chav Academy” in the local paper—again. She has problems just like everyone else: she worries that she is not really interested in any boys; she wants to hurry up and leave school so she can get discovered and go on Big Brother; and her mum and older sister, Cava-Sue, fight all the time. Cava-Sue went to study drama at university and now all she ever talks about is carbohydrates and unheard-of bands. College-bound readers might be shocked to see Mrs. Bailey Wood tell Cava-Sue to get a job instead of scrounging off the system in school, “leaping about in leotards, pretending to be a bloody tree!” With the recent invasion of young British soul singers, this might be the right proper time to offer this escapist title to stressed-out teens prepping for their SATs and ACTs. Grades 8-11. --Courtney Jones

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316034835
• ISBN-13: 978-0316034838
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grace Dent is undeniably one of the hottest names in teen fiction right now. Put simply: no other author nails how young people REALLY speak and behave like Grace Dent. Grace is a comedy writer and broadcaster specialising in all aspects of 'Pop Culture'. She is a presenter on The Culture Show on BBC2 and has recently interviewed Mitchell and Webb and the cast of Gavin and Stacey. She lives in East London with her husband, who works in the music industry. When she's not writing comedy Grace is to be found 'faffing about on the internet' or 'faffing about in the garden or kitchen' or 'just 'faffing about generally. I'm an excellent faffer.'

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hilarious Story of Social Class and Stigma, December 23, 2011

By 

E. Kristin Anderson "EKAnderson" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Chav (Hardcover)

Shiraz Bailey Wood isn't really a chav - even if she wears trackies and loves hip hop and doesn't really care about exams. But she and her best friend Carrie go to a school frequently referred to as "Superchav Academy" and her mother seems put out by Shiraz' sister, Cava-Sue, who is attempting to better herself by pursuing A-levels at an arts college. Since Carrie has become infatuated with her new boyfriend, a terrible rapper, Shiraz has been spending all her time avoiding the lovebirds and hiding the fact that she's actually doing well in English. But when Cava Sue runs away from home and her parents refuse to get involved, Shiraz knows there's only one thing she can do: write a TV talk show in hopes that they can put her family back together. While at first Diary of a Chav seems like a hard knocks version of the Georgia Nicolson series, it's not long before Shiraz's unique voice comes out. Past the hijinx, jokes, and rants, this is a book about social class, stigma, and finding yourself despite the way everyone else wants to see you. Complete with an index of Shiraz' slang, you can be sure this isn't the last you'll hear from Miss Wood (if only because several sequels are already available in the UK).

5.0 out of 5 stars British YA Lit, June 22, 2009

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Diva without a Cause (Diary of a Chav) (Paperback)

I was a bit wary when I picked up this book to read. The cover didn't really attract me to the story at all. I mean she looks like she's wearing a velour hoodie set. It just screamed trying to hard for me. Normally I would pass over this book, but I do enjoy British culture so I ended up picking it to read. I am so glad that I did. The book is written in a diary format, which I always enjoy. There's something about reading journal format that is very appealing to me, perhaps because it gives a better insight from the character. I also find that diary format books are very addictive to read because with no chapter breaks, you find it hard to stop reading. I grew to like Shiraz and her family. I will admit in the beginning she's very brash and hard to like but as you learn more about her life, she becomes very likable. I liked the teacher who encouraged her and gave her inspiration to do well in school. Also her relationship with her sister is very touching especially during the reality show scenes. My favorite part had me extremely grossed out. It's the scene in the factory. I read that scene and had the same reaction Shiraz did and was totally creeped out and even gagged. It's a great scene though and adds a lot of humor.

I will admit, the British slang takes a while to get used to. I felt like I was reading a foreign language for most of the book. Luckily there's a dictionary in the back that explains all these terms that Shiraz uses so I constantly found myself flipping to it throughout the story. After finishing this book, I felt like talking with a British accent to everyone and start using some of the words I had learned while reading. Overall this was a very enjoyable book to read. It gives a great taste of British culture and also shows how teens are the same all over the world. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story Siren Reviews:, December 18, 2008

By 

The Story Siren "Kristi" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Diary of a Chav (Hardcover)

I was laughing my a** off the entire time I read this novel! Shiraz is a very lovable character. I wasn't sure about this book at first. First off I had idea what a Chav was, and the cover scared me a little.... But once I started reading I was sucked into to Shiraz's voice. The novel consists of journal entries. Think Sloppy first, British style.

I may not have understood everything she was saying (thankfully there was an English dictionary for all the American cousins) but the girl is bloody brilliant!

Some of my favorites:

Baps: (n.) boobs. Also boobies, breasts, blouse potatoes.

Fangita-eater: (n.) this is a pretty, erm, rude word for a girl who things other girls are hot and doesn't fancy boys.

Knob: (n.) a boys penis. But it's also an insult too. "Stop being a knob!"

Marmite: (n.) brown yeast extract spread that British people have on toast, which to an American person who isn't used to it will taste like Satan's jockstrap.

Up the duff: (adj.) pregnant, knocked up, in the pudding club.

Despite what you would initially think, Shiraz is very smart. And unfortunately it isn't something that her environment encourages. Her mother seems to think that a rich husband is the way that Shiraz needs to go. Which is very sad. But while reading the novel you'll soon learn that Shiraz is not the type of girl to settle down with a rich husband, she has a mind of her own. She has typical teenage problems. Figuring what to do with your life, working through friendships, problems with boys, it's all in there and humorously done.

While this novel lacks elegance and grace... if your looking for brutally honest, this just might be your ticket. I'm looking forward to hearing more of Shiraz's voice.