This is the story of how Mandy learns to cope with her untidy life and finally emerges triumphant.
Mandy Small has trouble writing so Cat, her teacher, suggests that she tells her life story into a tape recorder. So begins Mandyโs funny and sometimes sad story of life with her loving but chaotic parents โ Dad, the Elvis look-alike, and Mum, whose idea of a special meal is burnt toast!
Then thereโs 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 thinks that Mandyโs parents arenโt fit to look after her. With so many things to worry about, Mandy begins to think that sheโs in danger of turning into a real Fruit and Nutcase!
Mandyโs story, told in the form of diary into a tape recorder, is a funny and often moving account of a childโs everyday life, with all its difficulties. Hilariously illustrated by Mick Brownfield.
Jean Ure went to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and her love of ballet and theatre have inspired many of her books, not least the acclaimed A Proper Little Nooryeff. The Puppy Present, written for younger children, was shortlisted for the Childrenโs Book Award.
Jean was born in Surrey where she still lives, in a three-hundred-year-old house, with her husband and family of rescued dogs and cats. She is a vegan and is committed to animals rights.