The Manifesto on How to be Interesting

At the start of this book I had written it off as another predictable 'chick lit' school book and was ready to hate everything about it including the garish cover. However I found myself being immersed in the world of Bree and it took me back to those anguished school days when it was easy to feel unpopular or ignored. The author has captured the essence of school life, where wearing the wrong top on a non uniform day can have you blacklisted and made the laughing stock for the rest of the year, whilst being an accidental trendsetter can suddenly catapult you into the popular set. Bree is firmly in the geek section until her teacher tells her to 'be someone you would want to read about' and so begins her blog and manifesto on how to be interesting. We are taken into the inner popular circle where to her surprise Bree discovers the students to be just like everyone else but much better at making their lives seem interesting. The book is very up to date with self harm and parental issues addressed. It does have a very American feel even though it is set in England. My only complaint would be the ending as I'm not sure things would work out quite so easily in a real school. That said, I think this book will appeal to teenagers and I'm sure would transport some parents back to their school days too.

Suggested Reading Age 11+