Making Friends with Alice Dyson, by Poppy Nwosu

Alice Dyson is a nerd with no social life who spends most of her time studying. She lives to please her distant parents, at least until the end of this final year at school. After that she has big plans that diverge significantly from theirs for her and will not please them. Two things disrupt Alice’s intentions for a studious final year. The first is her one friend May, who craves social success and drags Alice along in her wake. The second is dark and brooding bad boy Teddy Taualai, who is constantly in her face. As the year rolls on Alice steps out of her comfort zone in many ways, but ultimately remains true to herself. Nwosu’s book is sweet and funny, if not entirely credible. The relationships and actions seem more like those of kids aged 13-14, rather than 17-18, so the main characters don’t feel quite real. But their different setting in the northern suburbs of Adelaide and the understated multicultural crowd are delightful.