The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, By Sue Townsend

"Perhaps when I am famous and my diary is discovered people will understand the torment of being a 13¾ year-old undiscovered intellectual." So Adrian Mole prophesied in 1982, and he may well look back in smugness as a 43¾ year-old today.

His diary was discovered by a generation of young and adult readers and has since become a crossover classic.

This 30th anniversary edition proves it has lost none of its spark: entries catalogue daily indignities from acne breakouts to the torment of discovering that the object of his adoration, Pandora, is going out with his best-friend, Nigel (though this is short-lived).

Adrian's world encapsulates the growing pains of teenage-hood but also the wonder and hope.

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