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Frederick Kohner
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Gidget Paperback – June 1, 2001

by Frederick Kohner (Author), Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (Foreword)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 228 ratings
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A surfing, boy-crazy teenager comes of age in the summer of 1957 in this classic novel that inspired both movies and television and created an American pop culture icon.

“My English comp teacher Mr. Glicksberg says if you want to be a writer you have to—quote—sit on a window sill and get all pensive and stuff and jot down descriptions. Unquote Glicksberg! I don't know what kind of things he writes but I found my inspiration in Malibu with a radio, my best girlfriends, and absolutely zillions of boys for miles. I absolutely had to write everything down because I heard that when you get older you forget things, and I’d be the most miserable woman in the world if I forgot all about Moondoggie and what happened this summer. I absolutely owe the world my story. (And every word is true. I swear.)”

This is Franzie, part Holden Caulfield, part Lolita. The guys call her Gidget—short for girl midget. Based on the experiences of his own daughter, Frederick Kohner’s trend-setting novel became an international sensation with an irrepressible heroine whose voice still echoes every thrill, every fear, and every hope that every teenager ever had about growing up.

Includes a Foreword by Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (aka the real Gidget)
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley
  4. Publication date
    June 1, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.49 x 7.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780425179628
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0425179628
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If all American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn, all American surf culture comes from Gidget, the ostensible diary of Kathy Kohner, a teensy, gutsy teenage girl who crashed the all-male scene at Malibu Beach north of L.A. in 1957 and earned, from Moondoggie and others, the nickname Gidget, which meant "Girl Midget." Her father, the German immigrant screenwriter Frederick Kohner, fascinated by the beach-shack counterculture, interviewed his perky daughter at length, eavesdropped with permission on her phone calls, fictionalized her adventures, and batted out this influential bestseller. He nailed a tiny subculture's new form of speech ("If you want to know what goes on in Loveville ... Dig Number One: being gone on a boy is more important than having a boy gone on you.") and made it a pop-culture staple. Newly reissued with the real Gidget's picture on the cover (as on the original hardback), the book is very slim (appropriately enough) and historically beguiling. You'll like her--you'll really like her! --Tim Appelo

From Publishers Weekly

"I'm not quite five feet but if it hadn't been for that year-round swimming I'd have probably stayed a dwarf," writes the teenage surfer chick in the upcoming reissue of Gidget by Frederick Kohner. The kitschy, American pop culture classic was written in 1957, hit Hollywood in 1959 and returns for summer 2001, brimming with tales of guys, waves, hopes and dreams. Kohner based the novel on the life of his then 16-year-old daughter, Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the charming young thing who penetrated what was previously a male-dominated sport with gusto. She writes a foreword for this version, which has a splashy cover that will appeal to teens and older fans alike.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0425179621
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley; Reissue edition (June 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780425179628
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425179628
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.49 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 228 ratings

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Frederick Kohner

Frederick Kohner

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
228 global ratings
A More Mature Gidget
4 Stars
A More Mature Gidget
Gidget in Love? Gidget's always in love! Longer on plot and shorter on the nuances of narrative style than the early Gidget novels, this later entry reads more like your standard paperback, but is still a good read--especially for die hard Gidgephiles. Following "The Affairs of Gidget", Franzie comes home from OSU/Corvallis and transfers her credits to U.C.L.A.--this is because Jeff has completed his tour of service and is studying at Cal Tech. The relationship is rocky, though, and to prove a point, Gidget takes a job teaching at a small private school; she has of course, bitten off more than she can chew--if only she stopped there, but then how could she? More than she can chew has never been enough for Franzie Hofer. This is a more mature, less self absorbed Gidget, and it's good to see her do a little growing up.
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Top reviews from the United States

The Italian Parisian
5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Bit Of Fun Especially On A Hot Summer Day
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023
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I’ve loved the film since I first watched it at sixteen. I am finally reading the book at almost 60. It’s definitely not as light as the film but it’s a charming coming of age story that will make you smile.
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WW Bittrogue
5.0 out of 5 stars "Honest to goodness it's the absolute ultimate!"
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2011
Verified Purchase
"OH, Gidget, Gidget, Gidget..."

The movie's great (the first will always be my favorite--Sandra Dee & James Darren are forever Gidget and Moondoggie in my eyes). But the book? Wow. Such detail. Such style!

How did Kohner do it? How did a German-born Hollywood screenwriter writing his first novel (about a girl's passion for surfing and surf bums and her transition from adolescense to womanhood) complete it in just six weeks!? Incredible! No doubt he's a superb writer and storyteller. He can write a delicious romance so wonderful that it puts most romance novelists to shame! I should know. I'm a passionate romance reader at heart.

The descriptions and dialogue are a hoot. I would burst out laughing and chuckling at some of the most witty lines imaginable. There are poignant ones, too--especially at the end with the Great Kahoona and Gidge--words of wisdom that got me misty-eyed.

The cover art's fantastic and the real photos of Gidget, her dad, and the crew is a real treat.

After having first seen "Gidget" years ago, I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally have read the book. Don't wait a second more! For teenage girls all over, this is the ultimate ride, a thrilling coming-of-age story during one girl's unforgettable summer that has inspired so many--then, now, forever.

Thank you, Kathy! Thanks loads!!! Without you this would have been lost only to memory.
12 people found this helpful
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Kcmcardle
4.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2023
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I have lived in Southern California my whole life and loved the Gidget reruns as a child. My mom introduced me to the original movie when I was young and the book is very much like the movie. I visited “Dukes” in Malibu this summer and this book was on display. I didn’t even know it existed so I promptly ordered it and read it immediately. It is a very easy and short read. If you are a Gidget lover you will enjoy!
One person found this helpful
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Lit Chick
5.0 out of 5 stars No worries!! Great copy!
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
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I was a fan of the Gidget tv show and movies, and didn’t even know that they were based on this book. I was happy to find a copy as nice as this one. Thank you!!!
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Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story about self-discovery and coming of age.
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
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Let's just say this work is nothing like the sanitized and saccharine version of the Gidget we all know from the movies that followed in the wake of the book's 1957 publication. The literary Gidget story has correctly been described by others as something akin to "A Catcher in the Rye": A provocative and cutting-edge tale of adolescence, richly peppered with the slang of its day and heavy with the themes of budding love and sexual awakening. Beautifully and tenderly written, and still very relevant. Highly recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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Mac McCarthy
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017
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Very 1950s.
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Signalshifter
5.0 out of 5 stars Different Time and a Different Place
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2013
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This is a very interesting book if one reads from the point of view of a story about the surfing culture and the world in southern California before the Beatles, the Vietnam war and all of that impacted things. I lived in the area at the time I was too young to have participated in any of this but I do remember the surf boards, the Woody's that hauled them and the surfers around to where the wave where that day. I have my memories of what I witnessed Gidget(Girl Midget) lets you get inside of mind of an aspiring member of this culture. It is refreshing that it doesn't try to beat you over the head with some deep social thing. Having read the book the TV series does a pretty good job of putting the book on the screen and actually makes it watchable.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023
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Quick read
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Top reviews from other countries

Wade Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Gidget is the source!
Reviewed in Canada on December 17, 2020
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The writing is straight out of the Sixties, authentic and fun. The love story probably sounds corny to modern readers. Still, the true and timeless aspect of this amazing book is how Gidget became an iconic surf legend, paving the way for female surfers. Gidget is the source.
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