1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spud: the madness continues- MUST READ!, October 29, 2010
Spud: The Madness Continues, by John Van De Ruit, is composed out of John Milton's (AKA Spud) diary entries, as he explains the daily shenanigans he experiences while attending a South African boarding school in the late 90's. The story line changes with every diary entry, ranging from a mad cricket coach to falling in love with a beautiful girl named "The Mermaid." The theme of allowing humor in your life runs frequently throughout this book, with Spud giving everyone in his dorm nicknames (Vern Blackadder is reffered to as Rain Man). It seems that humor is Spud's defense mechanism. All in all, Spud: The Madness Continues was a very laugh-inducing book that will suit any male reader in his teen years looking for a good laugh.
This hilarious comedy starts out with Spud Milton beginning his second year at boarding school. His dorm mates, referred to as "The Crazy Eight", have been at loss after a fellow member, Gecko, passes away in the last book. On top of the daily difficulties created by teachers, cricket practice, and the year five prefects, the Crazy Eight also has to deal with the new first years who are now residing in the dorm, who seem to only want to cause trouble.
It seems that John Van De Ruit's purpose in writing the Spud series is to show teenage boys what it is really like to be going to boarding school in South Africa during the 1990's. He wrote the book in first person, diary entry form, which helps the character's emotions be expressed perfectly. It also helps the readers, mostly teenagers, understand his views on his school. The main genre of Spud: The Madness Continues is comedy. Humor is used frequently to help Spud express his feelings.
This book has greatly affected me. The original Spud book affected me as well, but the sequel is what really got me. I can relate to Spud in so many ways. He enforced my ideas on how bullies aren't worth fighting back to, and how teachers always just want what's best for you. In certain school experiences, I can't help but to think, "What would Spud do?"
After John Van De Ruit wrote the start of the Spud series, he had a big shoe to fill. I had very high expectations for the second book and did not want to be disappointed. After reading through, I was ecstatic after finishing Spud: The Madness Continues. Van De Ruit dove deep into all the characters personalities, to the point where I now feel as if I know them all personally. The book exceeded my expectations.
Spud: The Madness Continues talks more about the effects of the South African apartheid on schools and families than the first book. It is shocking to me how much apartheid affected people when it happened. This book serves as a reminder to many people that it is still happening in other countries today. Spud: The Madness Continues relates to larger issues in the world, such as discrimination and apartheid. One part that really affected my views on the apartheid was when Spud describes when Nelson Mandela was released from jail. His descriptions were so vivid it felt like I was there.
I will recommend this book to anyone. It really speaks to teens, telling them directly that school can be filled with insanity, You just have to find ways around it to get by. John Van De Ruit did a perfect job with this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Van, De Ruit, John. Spud- the Madness Continues--. New York: Razorbill, 2008. Print
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genius, May 17, 2009
This review is from: Spud-The Madness Continues (Hardcover)
How has no one reviewed this book yet? Spud: The Madness Continues is a sequel to van de Ruit's book Spud. The books are basically Adrian Mole at a South African boarding school (not named), except that John (Spud) Milton isn't an idiot (like Mole) and actually learns from his mistakes. The story is told as his diary, and is exclusively in the first person.
John Milton is a small boy, whose voice breaks during the book (hence the nickname), and is from a lower middle class background. He won a scholarship to the school prior to the events of Spud, which one student said cost $20,000 a year, in 1991 no less. He tries hard to fit in with his dorm room mates, known as the Crazy Eight, and succeeds to a degree. The Crazy Eight include their leader Rambo, Boggo, Fatty, Simon, Mad Dog, Rain Man, Spud, and Roger the cat, who replaced the deceased Gecko.
The exploits of the Crazy Eight are the focus of the book, and the parts that will make you start laughing until you have chest pains. In Spud, The Crazy Eight were the youngest year, and were fending off abuse from the upper years. This time around they have their own first years to torment, and they do it with such creativity and nastiness that you thank God that it's not happening to you, all the while your sides are heaving.
There are also the usual romantic entanglements for poor Spud, though it's more on the backburner than it was in the first book. His battles to kiss his sort of girlfriend the Mermaid (Debbie) are quite funny, even as she moves him into friend territory.
I could not recommend this book more if you want something to make you laugh. It takes the Adrian Mole premise and so improves on it to the point that you won't look at the other series the same way again, assuming you've read it (the first book even mentions Mole in passing). John van de Ruit is a brilliant comedic writer, and I can't wait for his next book in the series.
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