Product Description

She's humiliated, she's angry....and she's through with boys. Or least that's what she says.

This is the journal of Courtney Von Dragen Smith: middle child, product of divorce, would-be vegetarian. She writes the first mega-negative page the day after her boyfriend, "Such a Dave," breaks up with her because he's heading off to college. Angry and humiliated, Courtney vows to survive senior year on the anti-guy plan. But can she really give up guys and focus on friends, school, and her job at the hip café Truth or Diary? Or will a stint in student government, an epileptic dog, and a guy named Grant ("like-the-lake") Superior turn her world upside down and prove her journal right?

It's true: life can get weirder.

2001 ALA Popular Paperback for YAs

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #315379 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-31
• Released on: 2000-05-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In another entry in the burgeoning category of Bridget Jones's Diary-esque YA novels, Clark's (What's So Funny About Ninth Grade?) tale may lack the bite of Rosie Rushton's recent Fab Five series and the wit of this season's Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (reviewed Mar. 20), but it still hits adolescent themes head-on and with self-deprecating humor. "I realize I may be psycho and also boyfriendless. And if so, I'm at risk of being a stereotype," writes heartbroken 17-year-old Courtney Von Dragen Smith, who finds solace in a diary after being dumped by her college-bound boyfriend, Dave, at the onset of senior year. Courtney's tendency to self-sabotage (such as straying off her soy mocha and tempeh burger diet for self-pity-induced hot-dog splurges) and her quest for self-improvement (e.g., her list of how to deal with the changes in her life: "1. Hate Dave. 2. Try to move on by getting involved with other things. Which I am already doing by getting involved in student council. 3. Stop obsessing about Dave. Which I will do this instant") also invoke her older British contemporary. Set in present-day Colorado, the novel (named for the ice cream vs. healthy smoothie caf? where Courtney works) follows the protagonist through the first five months of senior year as she attempts to get over Dave, deal with a student council funds imbroglio and cope with trouble at her job, while trying to stay true to her oath not to date anyone before graduation. Popular and vain, the character of Courtney doesn't exactly encourage sympathy, but as with Bridget, it is in her flaws that her voice rings true. Ages 13-up. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-Courtney Von Dragen Smith's senior year gets off to a terrible start. Her boyfriend has broken up with her because he is going to college 30 minutes away and doesn't want to have a long-distance relationship. Also, she's bored with her job at the local Truth or Dairy caf? and confounded by her family's quirkiness. She decides not to date, even though there are a couple of attractive guys who show interest in her, and decides to run for vice president of the student council. Written in diary format, the novel has a strong narrative voice that gives readers insight into the protagonist and her feelings. This is especially evident after Courtney gets drunk at a party, which is reflected in her writing. The teen's quick wit gets her into many predicaments, all of which are humorously described. In the end, her family members resolve all of their issues. Her mom ends her conflict with the telephone company, the family's missing dog returns, and her sister comes out of the closet while at college, all of which make for a very pat ending. Courtney realizes how unfair she has been to a boy who has tried to befriend her, to her best friend, and to her brother. Her misadventures will appeal to slightly brainy girls who sometimes need to be reminded that life is a journey. An ephemeral paperback for those who take their literature "lite."-Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Told in diary format, this lightweight, faintly amusing slice-of-life novel chronicles the ups and downs of a confused, lovelorn high-school senior. After being dumped by her off-to-college boyfriend, who is looking to begin campus life free and clear of emotional entanglements, Courtney is so upset that she decides to spare herself future heartbreak by swearing off boys for the rest of the year. To take up the slack, she decides to concentrate on her academic career, getting involved with student government while continuing to work at the Truth or Dairy, an ice-cream-cum-health-food snack shop. But the course of true non-involvement does not run smoothly either, and complications on the work, home, and student government fronts soon ensue. Moreover, it's clear that fellow student Grant is romantically interested, and eventually, Courtney must decide if the involvement is worth the risk. While Clark deserves kudos for her delivery of a pitch-perfect, self-absorbed teenage voice, her protagonist has little emotional range, and the wafer-thin secondary characters that surround her similarly lack depth. Wearisome in spots and straining for laughs, this novel's main strength is its hip, airy tone and accessible subject matter. (Fiction. 13-15) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Very cute, cannot wait for the sequel...
*Truth or Dairy*, Catherine Clark's first novel in this series, is another adorable teen diary so popular these days. If you are a fan of the Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison, you'll find this novel not as laugh out loud funny but just as realistic and just as heartwarming. I cannot wait for the next diary!

Courtney, shocked by a break-up when her boyfriend goes off to college, pledges to stay away from dating any guys for an entire year. She chooses to focus on her studies, her friends, and maybe part-time job at the Truth or Dairy shop. Unfortunately, boys are around her at every turn, none of them her beloved ex. So she joins Student Council and hopes for the best.

This is a quick read appropriate for teens and adults. Enjoy!

Fun story for diary lovers
Another diary that will remind readers of Bridget Jones's Diary, although the narrator of this one, high school senior Courtney Smith, is less obsessed with weight and finding a man (although her relationships with various men play a large part in the story). Just before senior year begins, Courtney's boyfriend Dave breaks up with her. He's leaving for college in a nearby town, and thinks they need the space. Like most of the other problems in the story, this is treated lightly and with humor, although Courtney expresses her frustration with Dave and vows not to date again that year. Her plan is foiled by Dave's friend, Grant, who is a senior like Courtney, and who makes his interest in her clear almost as soon as Dave leaves. In addition, Courtney wins the position of ASB vice-president alongside a notorious womanizer, Tom Delaney, and struggles with his attitude and treatment of girls. Other complexities in the story involve her best friend's secret romance, her mother's ongoing battle with the phone company, her effort to maintain vegetarianism, and her father's new marriage and step-grandchild. Many more serious novels would crumble under the weight of so many issues, but in Truth or Dairy they become a source of humor. As with Bridget Jones's life, Courtney's is full of goofy misadventures and misunderstandings, and the occasional slapstick situation, and she generally pulls through without much damage. The story doesn't have any profound insights into the human condition, and the light, almost immature voice might not appeal to more mature readers, but in general, the plot is compelling and the story fun, with an ending that leaves open the possibility of a sequel.

Reality with a Hilarious Twist
This book was a fun read. It starts out with Courtney who is a vegetarian and works at Truth or Dairy where they sell smoothies and wheatgrass drinks, etc. getting dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Dave. Dave thinks they need to be apart when he goes to college.

So Courtney makes a pledge. No boys all senior year. Seems easy enough at the time considering she's in a slight depression. But what happens when Grant Superior comes around? What about other guys like the Tom? Can she keep her pledge?

It doesn't end just there though. Many fun characters throughout the book who you can't help to remember make this diary type form book one you will remember.