1: An ingenious work of journal-told teenagedom, written through the eyes of a cynic with a sense of humor
Almost seventeen-year-old Janet Bandry is looking forward to a relaxing summer that involves lounging on the beaches of Greece, and taking part in crazy love affairs with foreign waiters. However, just as soon as her summer begins, it is already ruined by the Mad Cow - aka her mother - who insists that if Janet wants to have new back-to-school clothes, she'll have to work for them herself by getting a...job. Which is how she ends up working at a crummy Mexican restaurant, where the owner is constantly confiscating her wages. Honestly, if it weren't for Ethan - her ultra hip co-worker - she would have quit after day one. But if she quits, he'll obviously never ask her out. As if being a wage slave weren't bad enough, everyone around Janet is in love - including her mother, who is suddenly dating Buskin' Bob, a man who confiscates Janet's hair products, and has her eating weeds. If only Janet could turn to her best friend, but, alas, Disha has fallen head-over-heels in love with a hunky Australian, and left her in the dust. No wonder Janet has been sent into orbit.
Dyan Sheldon's more publicized novels - CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN and MY PERFECT LIFE - never really struck a chord with me, in the same fashion that her PLANET JANET books have. Which is why I'm shocked that they aren't well known. Janet is one of the most hilarious teen characters to hit the young adult market in years. Her narcissistic, cynical take on her life, and the world around her is laugh-out-loud funny; while her comical family - extended relatives included - are bizarre and full of surprises that keep the reader guessing until the very last page. PLANET JANET IN ORBIT is just as good as Sheldon's first Janet tale PLANET JANET. I only hope that there are more to come. An ingenious work of journal-told teenagedom, written through the eyes of a cynic with a sense of humor.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
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