(Dad says Winnie is worse than Satan.) I felt all choked up with emotion - I couldn't believe that this smiling old man was really a communist terrorist. The huge crowd outside the Victor Verster prison in Cape Town screamed as an old man with a gentle face and a huge smile walked free, holding the hand of his wife, Winnie.

'Crammed into the common room to watch the release of Nelson Mandela. I think this is the first time I've ever taken instructions from a black person.' (January 17, first day of school) He gives us important tips about the school like, 'Don't run in the quad,' and 'Stay off the grass.' He then tells us to get ready for bed. Luthuli, who looks incredibly serious and is neatly dressed. 'Our head of house is a black boy called P. This backdrop adds depth to the story, but never feels heavy-handed, and is only a small part of the story of Spud's development. Spud himself is fairly liberal (he wants to be a freedom fighter), but his father is terrified about the way that the country is going. Spud is set as apartheid is crumbling, and Nelson Mandela is being released from prison, giving readers a window into a unique time in South African history.

But, over time, Spud finds his place at the school (especially in the choir and the theater, and especially after he has a girlfriend to talk about). The school is populated with eccentric teachers, sadistic prefects (older students who have authority over the new boys), and strict rules. Rounding out the dorm are boys named, or nicknamed, Simon, Fatty, Rambo, Mad Dog, and Boggo. Another boy, called Gecko, falls prey to every conceivable illness or mishap. One boy, Spud's cubicle-mate Vern, is someone who should clearly have been institutionalized, instead of just sent away to school. Together, he and his dorm-mates are called 'The Crazy Eight' by the entire school. Spud (so-called because of his lack of physical development) ends up in a dorm with several unusual boys.

Spud comes from a family that edges beyond quirky into the realm of dysfunctional, though he himself is fairly normal. Told in diary and letter format, Spud tells of John (Spud) Milton's first year at an elite boys' boarding school in 1990 South Africa. But I'm glad that Razorbill sent it to me, because it is laugh-out-loud funny. Spud, by John van de Ruit, is one of those books that I would probably never have picked up on my own.

Spud by john van de ruit