Books about boys growing up and the trouble that seems to follow them wherever they go is definitely nothing new, but it certainly has experienced a resurrection of sorts these last few years, thanks to Harry Potter pushing his way into the collective mind of readers worldwide.

The diarised adventures of an adolescent boy is nothing new either – those who grew up in the ‘90s will no doubt be familiar with the diaries of one Adrian Mole – but the ‘Spud’ novels makes up for its lack of originality by being distinctly appealing to South Africans.

Due in part to Spud’s high school mishaps taking place during a particularly interesting period in our country’s history (Apartheid going south), but also thanks to the uniquely South African mindset that often vaults from the pages, author John van de Ruit’s first two Spud novels has garnered a quite sizeable following.

Or maybe it’s because you’ll find yourself roaring with laughter for the sometimes surreal events that unfold.

In ‘Learning to Fly’, Spud returns to boarding school for a third year of navigating the gauntlet that is members of the opposite sex, trying to survive the attacks of his nemesis, making sense of the bizarre antics of the residents of his dormitory, and generally just trying to arrive at the end of the year relatively unscathed.

Reading Spud’s third-year diary, guys especially will feel the uncomfortable memories of their own adolescent years creep up on them like a ghost in the night.

Were we really this obsessed with sex? Were we really this insecure, so immersed in the masks we wore to try and hold forth some sense of importance, while being so blissfully unaware that even our best efforts were doomed to fail because we were just, simply clueless?

Cringing after the umpteenth embarrassing event in Spud or one of his friends’ lives, which so uncannily reminds you of your own high school misadventures, I’m inclined to venture that the answer is a resounding “yes”.

Still, one cannot help but feel that van de Ruit is pushing it a little too much at times, especially with one of his character’s perverted obsession with sex. To be honest, I think we all knew someone like that back in school, but it seems that ‘Learning to Fly’ and its two predecessors would have been no less of a joy to read without the obsessions with sex perverting its pages.

Nevertheless, Spud’s third year of high school is certainly an entertaining read, even though you’ll always feel slightly removed from the characters. But that’s probably due to the diarised format of the novel and is therefore easily forgiven.

‘Learning to Fly’ is a highly entertaining, if slightly disturbing, read that will endear Spud to his fans even more.