Fruit and Nutcase

Mandy Small has trouble writing so her teacher suggests that she tells her life story into a tape recorder. So begins Mandy’s funny, and sometimes sad, story of life with her loving but irresponsible parents, her Nan who thinks her parents aren’t fit to look after her, and Old Misery Guts, their landlady.

This is the story of how Mandy learns to cope with her untidy life and finally emerges triumphant. Her life with her loving but chaotic parents – Dad, the Elvis look-alike, and Mum, whose idea of a special meal is burnt toast! Then there’s school, where the horrible Tracey Bigg picks on Mandy and her timid friend, Oliver, not to mention Old Misery Guts, the landlady and Nan, who htinks that Mandy’s parents aren’t fit to look after her. With so many things to worry about, Mandy begins to think that she’s in danger of turning into a real Fruit and Nutcase!

Mandy’s story, told in the form of diary into a tape recorder, is a funny and often moving account of a child’s everyday life, with all its difficulties, and is hilariously illustrated by