- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Walker Books Ltd (5 Aug 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0744590426
- ISBN-13: 978-0744590425
- Product Dimensions: 14.6 x 12.4 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,207,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Planet Janet
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Friday 22 December I don't want to end up shallow and superficial like so many other people (e.g. My Family). I'm going to be intense, serious, and spend a lot of time nurturing my Soul. I'm also going to dress mainly in black. Meet Janet. She's determined to explore Life's True Essence, despite the countless hurdles in her way (i.e. her mother The Mad Cow, a tragically lost mobile, the trials of Romantic Love, etc.). But while she splashes around the Deep End of the Pool of Life, could Janet be missing what's happening on dry land?
About the Author
Dyan Sheldon says that all her writing for young adults "comes from personal experience." She is the author of many books for young people, including Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen; it's sequel, My Perfect Life; Tall, Thin and Blonde; The Boy of My Dreams; Ride on, Sister Vincent; And Baby Makes Two; and a number of stories for younger readers. She also writes books for adults. American by birth, Dyan Sheldon lives in north London.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book in a random library and bought it because of the nice look of the cover. At first glance, it's ANOTHER teen story with the same old things : teenage angst, dating, friendship... Well, boring you think, but actually it's not that at all. Planet Janet is a brilliant story of 16-years-old girl who wants to change her lifestyle. She's tired of living a mundane life and she really wants to make a difference in the world. With her best friend Disha, she decides to enter in the 'dark phase' which is supposed to help her experience the real aspects of life (that is to say according to her: passion, despair, romance, pain...). The book is the funniest thing I ever read, and irony is everywhere. Janet is everything she despises but is not aware of the situation. I could really identify with the character. The author keeps playing with his readers, it's a pleasure. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to read something light and funny.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Basically, if you liked Adrian Mole then you'll love this. Reading this "diary" is just like reading Adrian Mole. Janet Bandry and Adrian Mole are so concerned with their deluded image as intellectuals that the real world flies past them. The only difference is Planet Janet is set in 2002 and Janet is, of course, female.
Janet is shallow, superficial, ungrateful and selfish. She believes she can be profound and intellectual by dressing in black and drinking white wine. She shows no empathy towards the other characters and is easily hateable.
Janet is shallow, superficial, ungrateful and selfish. She believes she can be profound and intellectual by dressing in black and drinking white wine. She shows no empathy towards the other characters and is easily hateable.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
An entertaining weekend read
4 Mar 2003
Format:Hardcover
Virtually every teenager goes through it. One day they decide they're going to become more sophisticated, and like Janet, think reading Beat poetry, listening to jazz, and changing their diet and/or wardrobe is the way to achieve such sophistication. It is no surprise then, that when Janet Bandry, protagonist of Dyan Sheldon's "Planet Janet" and her best friend, Disha, decide to enter the "Dark Phase" (or "DP") of their lives, that these are the first things they do.
Sure to please fans of Louise Rennison's "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging", "Planet Janet" chronicles Janet's five-month journey into the world of yoga, vegetarianism, and "deep, intellectual thought" through her diary entries. Already thoroughly self-absorbed (hence her parents nickname for her, "Planet Janet"), Janet reaches the epitome of teen solipsism before true tragedy brings her back to Earth. Loaded with slang, criticism of her "self-absorbed" family members, and a few graphic sexual references, the book takes the adult reader back to their own "Dark Phase" and is sure to engage the average 16-year old girl. At times the book is laugh-out-loud funny; at others, Janet's egotism is so utterly pathetic that one prays s/he wasn't that ignorant and aloof as a teen and that not all teens are so narcissistic.
Besides being a very easy read due to the diary format, another plus is the handy glossary Sheldon included at the back of the book. While most of the slang is easy to understand or figure out, there are a few words or abbreviations that might throw someone unfamiliar with British culture and language. "Planet Janet" is listed as suitable for ages nine and up, but is more likely suited to those a little older for several reasons. Chances are a nine-year old won't be able to fully relate to Janet or appreciate a lot of the literary, political, and philosophical references. In addition, though younger readers might be familiar with the sexual references, it is better to err on the side of caution as the few entries that do discuss sex can be somewhat graphic. All in all "Planet Janet" is a fun, quick read for young adults and not-so-young adults alike and is a must for anyone that has ever been in a "Dark Phase" of their own.
Sure to please fans of Louise Rennison's "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging", "Planet Janet" chronicles Janet's five-month journey into the world of yoga, vegetarianism, and "deep, intellectual thought" through her diary entries. Already thoroughly self-absorbed (hence her parents nickname for her, "Planet Janet"), Janet reaches the epitome of teen solipsism before true tragedy brings her back to Earth. Loaded with slang, criticism of her "self-absorbed" family members, and a few graphic sexual references, the book takes the adult reader back to their own "Dark Phase" and is sure to engage the average 16-year old girl. At times the book is laugh-out-loud funny; at others, Janet's egotism is so utterly pathetic that one prays s/he wasn't that ignorant and aloof as a teen and that not all teens are so narcissistic.
Besides being a very easy read due to the diary format, another plus is the handy glossary Sheldon included at the back of the book. While most of the slang is easy to understand or figure out, there are a few words or abbreviations that might throw someone unfamiliar with British culture and language. "Planet Janet" is listed as suitable for ages nine and up, but is more likely suited to those a little older for several reasons. Chances are a nine-year old won't be able to fully relate to Janet or appreciate a lot of the literary, political, and philosophical references. In addition, though younger readers might be familiar with the sexual references, it is better to err on the side of caution as the few entries that do discuss sex can be somewhat graphic. All in all "Planet Janet" is a fun, quick read for young adults and not-so-young adults alike and is a must for anyone that has ever been in a "Dark Phase" of their own.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Laughing Out Loud
1 Feb 2003
Format:Hardcover
PLANET JANET is one of the funniest new releases out there. Set in Britain, this book revolves around Janet, a teenager who decides along with her best friend to enter the Dark Phase, or DP, of her life. She reflects on her dysfunctional family, her religious zealot of a grandmother, her free spirit aunt, the boy she likes, the things we do for love, her rival, the art and film industry, black clothing and hair dye.
If I had a nickel for every time I laughed out loud during the course of this book, I would be a rich woman indeed. The diary format is sure to please fans of Meg Cabot or Louise Rennison. Two thumbs up for this wickedly brilliant British gem.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
It's definitely for younger readers...
30 April 2004
Format:Hardcover
I thought this book was very funny. Yes, the main character is very self-absorbed and whines a lot. That's the whole point. It's the diary of a 16 yr old self centered girl. I laughed out loud during many parts of it. It's a very quick read, too. I finished it in a few hours. It's not one of the greats of British literature, but I don't think it deserves such negative reviews. The book is just what it's meant to be.
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