Boys on the Brain
Cresta's diary starts: «My mum! She has boys on the brain!» This is a fun, pacey diary-based story told through the eyes of a typical contemporary girl of 14 in an 'AB FAB' kind of family.Cresta and Charlie are seriously embarrassed by their parents who insist on behaving like teenagers… Cresta's mother and her boyfriend play loud music when she's trying to work, and keep her awake at night with their noisy parties.Charlie, who's a bit plump, complains that her mum keeps nagging her to go on a diet. «Hasn't she ever heard of anorexia?» she complains.Cresta and Charlie are serious about their schoolwork and their careers and they are not going to waste their time thinking about boys… at least until they've taken their A levels… But then they meet some seriously cool guys.
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Boys on the Brain
JEAN URE
Illustrated by Karen Donnelly
HarperCollins Children’s Books An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2001
Text copyright © Jean Ure 2001
Illustrations © Karen Donnelly 2001
The author and illustrator assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of the work.
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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication
Source ISBN: 9780007113736
Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2010 ISBN: 9780007401628 Version: 2016-12-12
For Eleanor Warren, who writes wonderful letters
Contents
Copyright
Tuesday
Friday
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Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
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Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
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Monday
Tuesday
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Sunday
Three years Later…
About the Author
Also by The Author
About the Publisher
(1st day of winterterm)
Honestly! Mum is impossible. She is obsessed with boys. She has boys on the brain.
First thing she says to me, over tea: “Guess who I travelled in with this morning? Brad Sullivan!”
Not, “How was school?” or “Who’s your new class teacher?” or “What’s your timetable like?” but Brad Sullivan.
“He’s turning into a really nice boy,” said Mum.
I felt like saying, “Feel free! He’s all yours!” But Mum has such rotten taste in men she might just take me at my word. My mum and Brad Sullivan! I can just see it. And then, what about poor old Harry? He’d be out on his elbow.
On the whole I do feel that Harry is a Good Thing. The first decent bloke she’s ever had. I wouldn’t want her ditching him. So I restrained my worst impulses and said, “Really?” in a polite but yawny sort of way, hoping that she would get the message. The message being that I do not want to hear about Brad Sullivan. Or about any other boy, come to that. I am sick of the whole subject!
Instead, I tried talking about school. I said, “I’m so relieved! Me and Pilch are both in 9C.” I’ve been worried, just lately, that they might split us up. “We’re together for almost everything,” I said. “Oh, and we’ve got Mrs. Adey for English again!”
“Have you!” said Mum. “That’s good!”
To be fair to her, she did try to take an interest, but in the end temptation overcame her. As usual! The opposite sex just dra-a-a-aws Mum like a magnet.
“Brad was telling me,” (she goes) “how he’s joined this new youth thing. They’re going to put on musicals.”
Meaning, in Mumspeak, why don’t you join the youth thing? Join the youth thing and meet some boys!
“They’re going to do a rock panto for Christmas,” chirrups Mum.
“Wow,” says I.
“They’re desperate for female voices!”
Mum is so transparent.
“You can sing,” she says. “Why don’t you try joining?”
I said, “Because I have a voice like a corn-crake.”
“No, you haven’t!” said Mum. “You’ve got quite a nice voice.”
“Pilch is the one who can sing,” I said.
Of course, she jumped on this immediately.
“So you can both join!”
“Mum!” I yelled. “I haven’t got time!”
She’s always doing this to me. I wish she wouldn’t! I know she means well. I know she only has my interests at heart. What she considers to be my interests. But I wish she would just leave me alone!
“You know what they say,” sighed Mum. “All work and no play…”
I happen to like work. In any case, you have to study if you’re going to get anywhere. And I am going to get somewhere! I am absolutely determined.
I said this to Mum and she said, “Oh, Cresta, you’re so focused!”
