Angry little girls

What if Peanuts0 was for grown-ups with attitude? Angry Little Girls 0 revels in sarcastic humor in a collection of strips that show that life isn't always nice. The characters, drawn with less detail than Schulz used in Peanuts0 (think Dilbert0 and get simpler), lampoon cliches with humor and finesse. If there is no continuing story linking the strips, the characters embody all the stereotypes any strip could accommodate, such as angry girl Kim, bored princess Deborah, and gloomy Xyla. Lee's art is cute as well as simple, a send-up of kiddy-book style, and the strip format allows the characters to be as adult or childish as the jokes require. Although Lee is only poking fun, the humor is at times not very politically correct, so perhaps the faint of heart and easily miffed should be warned. Oh, and play the fun bonus--an angry quiz. --Tina Coleman Copyright 2005 Booklist

Lee created Kim, the angry little Asian girl, for a brief cartoon that was a response to insulting Asian characters in other cartoons. In this collection of her weekly strip, she expands the idea to include a bunch of girls of different races. The book aims for wry humor and occasionally achieves it, as when Xyla, the gloomy girl, says, "The thought of suicide is what keeps me alive." But actual laughs are rare. Lee's minimal drawing style recalls Peanuts, Life in Hell and South Park, and she tries to emulate their tone. Like Peanuts, she gives her child characters adult neuroses, cynical worldviews and a touch of sadness. But her plain approach never reaches that strip's subtlety. Nor does her satire come close to Life in Hell, which at its best was relentless about the state of love, work and childhood in the modern world. Instead, we have a trifle that seems too timid to say much about anything, ironically packaged with a hard cover and heavy, full-color glossy pages. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Spirited, loudmouthed comic characters not afraid to speak their minds will make getting through the year with humor. These Angry Little Girls target clueless boyfriends, nagging parent and stupid people. This is the perfect calendar for those who understand that life can be annoying! Excerpted from Angry Little Girls All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.