Book Review: Fat Hoochie Prom Queen
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this book features plenty of
drinking and swearing in both English and Spanish. Margarita
smokes marijuana and eats junk food including a whole box of
Krispy Kreme donuts. There is a gay character who starts having
trysts with a guy he barely knows after breaking up with his
boyfriend. Also, a parent agrees to host a drunken prom party
for Margarita.
Families can talk about media -- books, movies, tv shows, etc. -- that feature large girls. Can you think of other examples of female protagonists who don't fit into the typical skinny-girl mold? How many examples can you come up with? Even in this book, Madge's size is definitely part of the plot. Can you think of any media with a big character where weight is not part of the storyline?
Common Sense Media Review
Margarita Diaz is different than most prom candidates: She
is unapologetically fat, wears outrageous clothes, sometimes
with feathers attached -- and can swear like a sailor in both
Spanish and English. Also, unlike a lot of queen bee prom
wannabes, she is actually nice to everyone. Her energy
certainly breathes life into this rather meandering revenge
story. Readers may laugh at some of the antics -- like when
Madge wakes up to find that she has passed out drunk in a
college football stadium next to an empty box of Krispy Kremes
-- and they will certainly cheer when she tells off her
arch-rival Bridget Benson.
But by the time readers make it towards the end of the
book, they may have forgotten what the whole point was. And
this is exactly when the author decides to build Bridget's
unfortunate -- and rather outrageous -- secret past (which
includes a trashy drug-addicted mother who hits on Madge's gay
best friend). All this -- of course -- leads to a very-scripted
resolution between Madge and Bridget. Ultimately, it's Madge
and her ebullient narration that keeps this story afloat. It is
a fun enough addition to the prom genre for mature teens, if
not a particularly deep one.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
