John 'Spud' Milton is about to embark on a wild and crazy adventure in one of the more prestigious boarding schools in South Africa. Set in 1990, thirteen-year-old John (nicknamed 'Spud' by his classmates for 'issues' below the waist) finds himself thrust in an environment where he has to not only deal with the craziness of his fellow first-years (the Crazy Eight as they are called), but his seniors, the staff, and let's not forget all the problems with having girlfriends! Written in a diary style format, this coming of age story is bound to have you in stitches and wanting to rescue poor Spud from the madness that surrounds him.

Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and anyone in the mood for a wonderful funny story that you just can't put down.

The colorful characters; from Spud, to his father (who seems hellbent on moving the family to Malta because he is afraid of everyone from their neighbor's dogs to their live-in housekeeper), to Wombat (his grandmother, who seems to think everyone is out to get her and steal her things), to his mother (who - God bless her - has come to live with such craziness and simply accepts it as best she can though she has her moments), to Gecko, Boggo, Mad Dog, Rambo, Vern, The Guv, The Glock, The Mermaid, Julia Roberts (a look-alike and not the real thing)...in fact, each and every character has something special that will make you feel like you know them in person.

Read it all over again!

Nostalgic of my days in boarding school and all the friendships and shenanigans I got into back then. It made me laugh and giggle so many times, it was simply hard to put down. Fastest book I've read so far this summer.

John van de Ruit

Of all I've mentioned above. Great characters, funny stories and scenarios, poignant moments especially toward the end, and so many situations you can find yourself nodding to in agreement. We all went through that awkward teenage phase after all.

A must-read for anyone and everyone! Highly recommended and now to go in search of the second installation: "Spud: The Madness Continues!"

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Created Jul 10, 2012 at 9:41pm • Submit your own review...