SPUD--THE MADNESS CONTINUES...
by John Van de Ruit
In the much-anticipated sequel to the surprise South African bestseller Spud (2007), John “Spud” Milton’s tale of boarding-school life picks up with 14-year-old John ready for his next school year. He still hasn’t reached puberty, hasn’t cemented a relationship with Durban beauty queen Mermaid and is still a bit of a pawn in the boarding-school game. Spud writes his tale in his diary, a format that lends immediacy to his observations, proffering keen insights on universal themes of death, love, growing up and finding your way during a challenging time. Plenty of humor balances the crude machinations of bullies and braggarts, with Spud’s fumbling attempts at romance, a drunken English teacher, his crazy grandmother (called Wombat), his moonshine-dealing father and a mother who wants to emigrate and leave it all behind. Those who enjoyed the first will likely love this volume; others may well tire of a 14-year-old boy’s second catalogue of his boarding-school experiences. (Fiction. 12 & up)