Product Description

Shrimp, the hottest pint-size surfer-artist in San Francisco. That boy (as her mother called him), who was the primary cause of Cyd's being grounded to Alcatraz, formerly known as her room. The boy who dumped Cyd before she left home to spend the summer in New York City.

Now it's the start of senior year. Cyd has changed, but maybe Shrimp has changed too -- and maybe Cyd and Shrimp will need to get to know each other all over again to figure out if it's for real. Can Cyd get back together with Shrimp and keep the peace with her mom? And can she get a life outside of her all-encompassing boy radar?

This sequel to Gingerbread has all the sharp humor and searing attitude of the original, which ELLEgirl praised as "not just Another Teen Novel" and Teen People called "unforgettable."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34155 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-09
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Amazon.com
After a summer in New York to get to know her bio-dad and her Other Family, the oddly named Cyd Charisse of Gingerbread has returned to senior year in San Francisco, given her eponymous rag doll to her little sister, and rolled up her sleeves to pursue her short but gorgeous surfer ex-boyfriend Shrimp in the firm belief that their relationship can be returned from "just friends" to its former status of "true love." A spoiled suburban princess with pretensions of Goth, CC has up to this year been so tediously self-involved that she has not even been willing to commit to having girl friends. But now she has Asian semi-lesbian punk Helen and Shrimp's folly Autumn. Despite their good advice, and that of her gay half-brother Danny, her wise elderly friend Sugar Pie, her shallow but glamorous mother Nancy and her nice stepfather Sid-dad, Fernando the chauffeur, and even his godson, the boy CC calls Alexei the Horrible, CC stubbornly continues to believe that her fate lies with Shrimp. This slim plot, loaded with pop culture, current teen speak, fashionable food, and much switching of sexual gender preferences, is punctuated with spats and making-up between the various characters, assisted by uncharacteristically tactful and sensible intervention by CC. In the end the author pulls a switch with a wedding (but whose?) and a tearful redefinition of true love that leaves room for a sequel.

Rachel Cohn's thoroughly unlikable Cyd Charisse is evocative of Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson of Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, but without the redeeming wit, and the San Francisco setting recalls the passion for L.A. of Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat, but without the mythic sweetness. However, fans of chick lit will embrace this super-trendy book with open arms. (Ages 12 up) --Patty Campbell

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-This sequel (S & S, 2005) to Rachel Cohn's Gingerbread (Dec. 2005, p. 84) brings back CC, the wanna-be out-of-control teen formerly known as Cyd Charisse, who will have an eager audience awaiting her return. Her unique persona-foul-mouthed iconoclast mixed with loving family member and devoted friend-voiced by Carine Montbertrand comes through in her trademark in-your-face style. Montbertrand's rather quirky voice and rhythm of speech evokes CC to perfection. She is a master of the sarcastic whatever teen tone of voice and uses it to read dynamic life into this appealing character. She uses a limited amount of vocal cues for individual characters, but this works well because Cyd Charisse tells the entire story. Although strong language and sexual frankness makes this audiobook most appropriate for older teens, CC's growing self-awareness and excellent judgment about what makes a good life, a good family, a good love relationship, and good friendships let listeners appreciate a truly good almost-adult. Still willing to drive her parents crazy, she is also able to see to the heart of situations and understand what it takes to be committed to good decisions and a worthwhile life. The well-drawn San Francisco sights and sounds create a wonderful backdrop for the story. A successful restaurant work experience, the forging of her first real friendships with other girls, her devotion to her boyfriend Shrimp, and the bringing of her own brand of peace and love to her family keep CC moving forward through her senior year of high school. Montbertrand's personality-filled reading brings credence and fun to an already terrific story. Listeners who have not read Gingerbread will still be able to understand Shrimp since enough of the plot line from the previous book is made clear. Wilder than The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Delacorte; Listening Library, 2001) or boy-crazed Georgia Nicholson's diary entries, Shrimp will appeal to the blossoming adult inside every teenager. A must buy for all libraries with audio collections serving teens.-Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY
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From AudioFile
Cyd Charisse (named after the dancer) is a unique young woman of opposites: tough on the outside, mush in the middle; supremely confident but only with the help of her doll; and clear on what she wants but only after much deliberation. Unfortunately, Carine Montbertrand's deep, older voice does not sound like a teen's. In this sequel to GINGERBREAD, the plucky heroine faces the many challenges of her senior year as she searches for independence while wanting to hold on to friends, family, and Shrimp, her ex-boyfriend, who may not need her as much as she needs him. Vocal tone aside, Montbertrand successfully conveys the contradictory emotions of a young woman looking for love without losing herself. M.M.O. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Good book
This book does not have a lot to it and is fairly predictable but still very entertaining. kind of book that you can whip through in no time, but still enjoy it.