The fourth Spud book will be released next year, Penguin Books has confirmed.

In a post on their Facebook page on 2 November, the publishers wrote: "For those of you who are Spud fans, we're pleased to announce that John van de Ruit's much anticipated fourth installment in this bestselling series will be releasing in SA in August 2012!"

The first three books have become literary sensations in South Africa. The first installment of the schoolboy franchise has sold over 200 000 copies and has been adapted into a film starring John Cleese and Troye Sivan.

The third book in the franchise, Spud: Learning to Fly, was released in 2009.