Welcome to the chaotic, crimp-haired world of Alice Brown, a 14-year-old determined to reinvent herself as one of the cool kids when she starts at Hillside Secondary in the 1990s. Armed with lip gloss, questionable confidence, and a stack of Teen Vogue magazines, Alice launches "Operation Cool Girl"; a mission destined to fail in the most spectacular, and hilarious, ways possible.
Her best friend Louise Hurley, nerdy, loyal, and allergic to drama , warns her that chasing popularity is a disaster waiting to happen. But Alice has tunnel vision: she wants to impress the holy trinity of Hillside; Sasha, Natasha, and Lorraine, the glam squad of teenage tyranny.
From accidentally ruining the school dance with Valentine's decorations, to setting off a mini-volcano in science class, to falling for Robbie, Sasha's guitar-playing boyfriend, Alice's diary chronicles every cringe-worthy misstep with unfiltered teenage honesty and humour. But as her schemes unravel and her friendship with Louise falters, Alice begins to realise that maybe the coolest thing she can be is herself.
Set to the soundtrack of dial-up tones, cassette mixtapes, and '90s teen angst, Alice Brown: The Not-So-Cool School Chronicles is a laugh-out-loud coming-of-age comedy about friendship, identity, and the art of embracing your inner dork. Perfect for fans of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and Diary of a Teenage Girl, it's proof that growing up is messy, mortifying, and absolutely magnificent.
