Kicking off a series based around 13-year-old Rachel Riley, My So Called Life is a hilarious and enjoyable read.
Rachel leads an ordinary life. She’s painfully middle class, and nothing Jacqueline Wilson ever happens to her – she’s not adopted, her mum isn’t tattooed and she’s not likely to move to a council estate or be put into care. Neither are her parents alcoholics, drug addicts or closet transvestites. But Rachel’s adamant things could be different. This diary follows her across the course of a year, as Rachel attempts to make her life more exciting. Over the months Rachel details all her trials and tribulations. She struggles to fit in at school, falls out with her best friend, tries to handle the school elections, falls in love, has her first kiss, and even discovers there’s to be a new arrival in the family, a new ‘uncle’, after her grandfather impregnates his care worker.
My So Called Life has already been referred to as an Adrian Mole for the Noughties, and I’d agree with this comparison. Nadin has a great eye for detail, and these pages contain plenty of laugh-out-loud funny moments. With many political references, this book provides readers with something a little more meaty to get their teeth into, and will hopefully give them food for thought. Like Sue Townsend, or Louise Rennison, this book has real crossover appeal, and is one I can see adults borrowing and fully enjoying too. All in all - a top read!