Plain Rude

Ian Rude #2

by Linda Aronson

When plain-looking Ian Rude lies that he’s a conservationist to get the best looking girl at Yarradindi High, he doesn’t count on being blackmailed by Natasha, the girl who put the ‘mental’ into environmental...

Will Ian get the scrumptious Suzie? Will demented Natasha drown him in Syd Pocky’s toilet bowl? Is Ian really an emu whisperer ?

Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Linda Aronson is a working writer with awards as a scriptwriter, playwright and novelist. She has thirty years experience as a scriptwriter working for companies from Australia, UK, New Zealand and USA. As a scriptwriter, she has credits for feature film, TV series and serials, mini-series, children's TV, radio drama, stage plays, and TV drama-documentary. Her young adult fiction is published in many languages and her hit stage comedy Dinkum Assorted (about life in a World War II biscuit factory, written for a cast of fifteen women and a nanny goat,and for which she also wrote music and lyrics) has rarely been out of production somewhere since it premiered at the Sydney Opera House over twenty years ago. She has also published short stories and satirical journalism. Linda also works internationally as a script consultant.
--from the author's website

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plain Rude is a novel written by Linda Aronson and was originally published in 2004. The story is about a Yarradindi High School boy called Ian, who is plain-looking and boring, who likes this girl called Suzie. He has a crush on her, and just when he thinks he’s going to hold hands with her in a play, it all goes downhill. After this tries everything to get her attention with the help of the weird and crazy Natasha the environmentalist. Things go downhill fast when he gets desperate. The story is intriguing and interesting compared to other books, it also has some funny moments that will make you chuckle. The main part that makes the book great are the characters and story.
The story focuses on Ian and his life with his family and crush, which gets the viewer hooked to the book. The story has many twists and turns that viewers will not see coming. You meet zany and funny characters and the iconic Emu “Bruce Willis”. The most interesting character out of all is the main character, Ian. Ian is a stereotyped teenager who wants a girlfriend. Of course that doesn’t happen as he makes a lot of mistakes a boy would do. He has to deal with his redneck family and overcome his fear to get Suzie. Natasha is an insane “environmentalist” who helps Ian to go out with Suzie. She makes Ian do crazy things like vandalise and feed snot-spitting bats. Overall she gets a lot of development, Ian and Natasha spend the most time working together and you really get to know her character. Suzie is the typical smart girl, which every boy likes and who does anything to help assist school, or as Ian calls her a “clone”. She is more used as a plot device for most of the film for Ian to get, but around the end she gets much more development. There are even more characters like Ian’s family the Pocky’s. The Pocky’s are your typical outback people. They are crazy and they have an Emu farm where they plan to host a community day with the Emu’s. Overall the characters are very well developed and you get to know there strengths and weaknesses, especially Ian’s.
The setting takes place in Australia, they take place in Yarradindi High School, the shops, Natasha’s place and Ian’s place. These places get some development, and the viewer can get a feeling of a familiar place. Where you get the most development is in the Yarradidni High School, as you get to know what the place is like, and the characters that are there. The main theme in the book is that to always be yourself and to not be a different person. This theme is very evident in the last pages of the book. Other themes are trust and with the characters, especially Natasha and Ian as they have to work with each other. Ian doesn’t like what Natasha is making him do as first, but as the story advances the develop a lovely friendship. Overall Plain Rude has a funny and zany story, developed characters who each have a different personality, a familiar setting and a core message and theme. Plain Rude is a 8/10, it’s a very good book to read if you want a more lighthearted, relatable and fun adventure.

[Horatia Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious book about how not to get a girl/boyfriend. And about other things, of course (school, emus, bats, etc.). Ian Rude's mission is to get Suzie, a Clone (a perfect human being), to go out with him - perfect blackmail material, which is something that Natasha uses to her advantage. Next door to Ian is an Emu Farm - a farm which is driving Natasha and her family up the wall. Natasha's family aren't exactly subtle about their anger, but the Emu

[Diego Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good had a great ending

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!

I read it as a kid and I love every bit!.

The pathetic humour, honest narration and the twists and turns of the story, I just adored it as a kid. Today it's one of my favourite books to use in the classroom.

[Kay Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that it was Hilarious!

[Ihamilto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a boy name Ian trying to win the heart of a girl name Suzie. But it goes all wrong in this play that Suzie invented.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very humourous and funny, found myself laughing at a few parts, and a very good and light read for heavy readers used to intense books :D