Homegrown writer’s teen novels delight

Snitch and the sequel, Snitch 2: A Year of Relative Madness, are SA teen dramas that are simply waiting to be made into a TV series.

The books, by Edyth Bulbring – who grew up in Port Elizabeth – are current, funny and quite hard to put down.

The youth-focussed Snitch won the 2017 MER Prize for the best English or Afrikaans youth novel and reminded me of the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney, without the illustrations and with a much more local, topical feel.

The protagonist, Ben Smith, prides himself on being “Mr Average” and flying under the school radar, just far enough to be considered well-liked but not popular enough to be under the spotlight.

However, things change when his single mother breaks one of the “school rules” outlined in the book.

She unwittingly gets Ben thrown into the path of school bullies and this sets off a series of events that sees his friendship bonds tested.

While this happens, Ben is dealing with his first budding romantic relationship and having to decide who he is outside of the school hierarchy.

The book is poignant, funny and perfectly leads to the sequel, Snitch 2.

A bit older and wiser now, Ben is faced with more decisions, heartache and troubles.

Bulbring writes in an accessible way that manages to not patronise young readers, while giving older readers (those breaking the school rules, at least!) some nostalgic insight.

Snitch 2 is thought-provoking, highly enjoyable and an interesting look into the lives of middle class teenagers.

● Snitch 2: A Year of Relative Madness by Edyth Bulbring is published by Tafelberg at a recommended retail price of R150.