Fiction in English, . 1945- - Texts (BNB/PRECIS). "January 1st ... Just my luck, I've got a spot on my chin for the first day of the New Year ... January 14th ... Joined the library. Got Care of the Skin, Origin of Species and a book by a woman my mother is always going on about. It is called Pride and Prejudice, by a woman called Jane Austen. I could tell the librarian was impressed." So begins the diary of Adrian Mole. As a new year dawns, Adrian Mole has grand ambitions; be nice to the dog, help the blind cross the road and stop squeezing his spots. Yet his plans to live a good life seem to go wrong at every turn. He joins the Good Samaritans and ends up with king of curmudgeons Bert Baxter, his best friend steals his treacle-haired love Pandora and his tireless fight against vitamin deficiency has resulted in nothing but more spots. Then there's the shouts and fighting of his parents downstairs which are increasing in volume and frequency. Not to worry - the life of a genius intellectual is often fraught with difficulty.

Sue Townsend

The secret diary of Adrian Mole: aged 13 3/4