Spud
- Author: John van de Ruit
- Publisher: Penguin
Spud is set in South Africa in 90′s. A time of major events… On the 2nd February president FW de Klerk scraps apartheid and states that Nelson Mandela will be released from prison.
It’s also the time of another major event, it’s Spud Milton’s first year at an all boys boarding school. He was accepted as a scholarship — not because his, almost certainly crazy, parents could afford the fees.
The book is written as if it were Spud’s diary, much the same as Adrian Mole. However, this book shows a much deeper insight into the mind of the average 14 year old boy, warts an’ all. And because of this the book is a lot more adult (oddly enough). Particularly in it’s handling of of young boys views on girls, top shelf magazines, pubity and just about everthing else.
Spud is part of the carzy eight, which is the nickname given to the group of boys who share Spud’s dormitory. All of them have their own nicknames as well:
- John ‘Spud’ Milton — The diary’s author and inevitably the main character
- Robert ‘Rambo’ Black — Self appointed leader of the crazy eight and probably the strongest member
- Charlie ‘Mad Dog’ Hooper — A strong minded hunting enthusiast who is a bit of a nutter
- Henry ‘Gecko’ Barker — Probably the most sickly young lad to have walked the earth. He’s constantly ill, pale and thin
- Alan ‘Boggo’ Greenstein — A bit of a pervert and a keen lover of top-shelf magazines and videos
- Vern ‘Rain Main’ Blackadder — This boy suffers from some serious mental issues, who pulls his own hair out
- Simon Brown — A true sports fanatic with the skills to match, he’s a bit arrogant to say the least and is the only member not to have a nickname
- Sidney ‘Fatty’ Smitherson-Scott — No prizes for guessing that Sidney has a love of food. However, he also gets all the boys interested in a possible, hushed-up, murder case at the school
With a bunch of young lads like that it’s no real wonder that they were given the collective nickname of the crazy eight…
Because of the diary style and because it’s about a young boy it’s inevitable that comparisons will be made to Adrian Mole. However, this book is much better, and a fair but ruder to boot!
It became very popular in South Africa and is now making it’s way around the world. It’s also sporned 2 other books about Spud’s second and third years. So give it a read…
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