Product Description

There are 50 places at The Oaks, the best grammar school in Letchbury, and 1,000 children applying. Competition is fierce and parents are prepared to do everything and anything to get their child one of the coveted spaces. Close friends Lily, Julie, Karen and househusband Paul aren't overly concerned. After all, aren't their children bright and sociable enough? But they're quickly shaken out of their complacency when enrolment time approaches and turns out to be little more than a rigged lottery, where only the most ruthless hold the cards. Marriages and friendships crumble under the pressure, fake addresses abound and tutors rates soar. As measures get more and more extreme, the four quickly rally their troops and throw themselves into the battle for big school. Initially wary to be in competition with each other, they realise that the only way of out-smarting the rest of the pack is by coming up with a plan. Because getting their kids into The Oaks will demand determination and strategy akin to Mission Impossible ...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #271549 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From the Back Cover
There are 50 places at The Oaks, the best grammar school in the area, and 1,000 children applying. Competition is fierce and parents are prepared to do everything and anything to get their child one of the coveted spaces. Absolutely anything ...

Close friends Lily, Julie, Karen and Paul aren't overly concerned. After all, aren't their children are bright and sociable enough? But they’re quickly shaken out of their complacency when enrolment time approaches and turns out to be little more than a rigged lottery, where only the most ruthless hold the cards. Marriages and friendships crumble under the pressure, fake addresses abound and tutors rates soar. And, of course, money passes hands like water, between estate agents, local councillors and City fundraisers, all of whom hold the purse strings for school funding.

As measures get extreme (well, down-right ridiculous really), the four quickly rally their troops and throw themselves into the battle for big school. Initially wary to be in competition with each other, they realise that the only way of out-smarting the rest of the pack is by coming up with a plan. Because getting their kids into The Oaks will demand determination and strategy akin to Mission Impossible…

Praise for The Playground Mafia

'Scandal, backstabbing, illicit affairs...a fab, girlie read!' New Woman

'Mums will be able to see the truth behind this fun novel' In The Know

'A real laugh-out-loud tale' OK! Magazine

About the Author
An award-winning broadcaster and journalist, Sarah Tucker was a presenter on the BBC1 Holiday programme and, more recently, anchored I Want That House Revisited on ITV1. She regularly contributes to women's magazines, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and The Guardian. Sarah Tucker is the author of The Playground Mafia and three romantic comedies published by Harlequin.

Customer Reviews

A must read for parents of children in Years 4 to 6!
Is your child reaching the stage where you need to start thinking about selecting a secondary school?
Is the selection system in you area of the country fair or easy?

If so, you are lucky.

What would you do if your child had a 1 in 20 chance of getting onto the best schools in your area? Particularly if you were now in competition for one of those places with 4 of your closest friends? And how about if the competition was not really fair - and if that were becoming more and more evident?

Although not as good as May Contain Nuts (by John Farrell) this book is nonetheless an amusing insight into the predicament that many parents face every year - the predicament of getting your child into the school of your choice. For some parents, this is done by obtaining tutoring for exams such as the 11+ (c/f May Contain nuts). For others, it is done in different ways.

The main characters in this book decide that they can improve their children's chances by raising their social status and putting on a fund raising event for their current Primary school. They end up running a fashion show - which is what they know best. In the meantime, one of the friends is conspicuous by her absence - but all is revealed by the end of the book, when we find out what she has really been up to!

As the book progresses, we meet a range of amazing characters, some attractive, others not so nice - from the key characters to the designers they visit for the clothes to the unpleasant Head of the Oaks school.

Although a light read, this is nevertheless an enjoyable book, which should make you giggle in places.

Give it a whirl!

Truly dire
I read half of this book, and then had to give it up - my self-respect was at stake. I am an avid reader of chick lit, hen lit, mum lit, and therefore hoped this would be just the book for me, but it's so awful I could hardly believe anyone published it. The writing is slack, like bad journalism. The satire is so far from biting, it needs dentures. In fact, there is no satire. John O'Farrell's brilliant 'May Contain Nuts' is hilarious about competitive parents and the whole secondary school thing - read that instead of this book. The author of 'Battle for Big School' struggles and fails to make a single character stand out. Anyone who wants to read about contemporary mothers' lives should read 'I Don't Know How She Does It' by Allison Pearson or 'Any Way You Want Me' by Lucy Diamond instead. As a busy working mum of three, I cannot afford to waste time on books that are so poorly written!

Awful
I can only agree with the two reviewers who gave it one star. This book is terrible. I read the first few chapters, but after a while I found myself flicking through it as I could no longer bear it. I then read the last chapter and it confirmed that I was right not to have bothered. The main character is really irritating and it is impossible to feel any empathy for her. The other characters are really boring and the plot is non-existent. Read 'May contain nuts' if you want to read an excellent book on the same topic.