Product Description

Rachel Riley is the offspring of a depressingly unbroken home. Her mum and dad refuse to let her have a mobile phone, and have banned Ribena (too purple) and Eastenders (too common); her seven-year-old brother buys giant Des Lynam cut-outs and Will Young dolls from ebay and talks in Elvish; and the adopted dog eats her Pride and Prejudice boxed collection. It is time to change things. Rachel resolves that this year she will become tragic, literary and interesting - and will win the heart of Justin, the lead guitarist from Certain Death, along the way. Laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end, this is a fresh new voice which will speak directly to teenagers everywhere. If Bridget Jones had kept a diary when she was a teenager, it is unlikely to have been this funny!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34218 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-07
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
Rachel Riley is the offspring of a depressingly unbroken home. Her mum and dad refuse to let her have a mobile phone, and have banned Ribena (too purple) and Eastenders (too common); her seven-year-old brother buys giant Des Lynam cut-outs and Will Young dolls from ebay and talks in Elvish; and the adopted dog eats her Pride and Prejudice boxed collection. It is time to change things. Rachel resolves that this year she will become tragic, literary and interesting - and will win the heart of Justin, the lead guitarist from Certain Death, along the way. Laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end, this is a fresh new voice which will speak directly to teenagers everywhere. If Bridget Jones had kept a diary when she was a teenager, it is unlikely to have been this funny!

Customer Reviews

Love this book.
This book is awesome, its set in the school and town i live in which is so cool! i met the author and got the book signed!!! I highly recommend this book! I did to my friends too, but they are all borrowing it now.
get this book if you want something good to read. ***** five stars!!

Right Wing not Right On
I got this book out of the library for my 10 year old daughter before deciding she needed to be 2 years older to appreciate it. Meanwhile my 18 year old stepdaughter wants to read it! I thought the novel was very lively and enjoyable on the surface, though at times the rip-off of Adrian Mole was so obtrusive, that it spoiled my enjoyment. Joanna Nadin has none of Sue Limb's inclusivity. Non-white characters stay on the margins. When the heroine's young brother acquires a best friend who is a Muslim girl, we never get to meet her. Classmates who are from working-class backgrounds are called - with a stunning lack of originality - Fat Kylie and Thin Kylie. It's no surprise that in Joanna Nadin's former career she worked with Tony Blair. She has all the previous PM's contempt for, and suspicion of, those who don't subscribe to middle-class values. So despite its frothy energy the book leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Brilliant
I bought this book as a xmas present for my 16 year old sister and ended up reading it myself. I am 28 years old and I loved this book. It was laugh out loud funny and I am now pre-ordering Joanna Nardin's next book for me and my sister. It is very rare to find a writer who is this good at being humourous while really capturing the essence of what teenagers are like!! I would recommend this book to anyone, though it is best suited to young adults of 14 years and older (due to subject matter).