The Adrian Mole series are the iconic coming-of-age books for YA readers written by Sue Townsend about a young aspiring writer as he navigates 1980s Britain. Since their first release, the books have been adapted to radio shows, television, theatre and computer games.
The books are all written in diary form, following Adrian Mole from his adolescent years all the way to middle age. We move from Adrian experiencing love for the first time, to seeing his parents divorce, finding his voice as a writer, navigating financial difficulties and becoming a parent himself. Together with Adrian's growth, we also see the changes of Great Britain, from feminist campaigns to the rise of technology in the late 90s. While each title tackles difficult themes and topics, brilliant humour is spread throughout making for a light, funny read.
We highly recommend this series for fans of The Private Blog of Joe Cowley and Diary of a Confused Feminist. If you enjoyed reading this series and would like to check out more books that tackle topics of love, family and school with humour, check out our blog post on the Best Funny Books for Teens.
All the Adrian Mole books in order:
Book 1: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 (1982)
Book 2: The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1984)
Book 3: The True Confessions of Adrian Mole (1989)
Book 4: Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (1993)
Book 5: Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (1999)
Book 6: The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999-2001 (2001)
Book 7: Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004)
Book 8: Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (2009)
Read at 12. Amazing, funny and relatable. Just like the first. Love it. Perfect for fans of other diary books but a bit more mature. I would say about...
Read this at 11. So funny and relatable. Absolutely loved it. An older one but still great....
Somehow funny but not the best book of Sue. I honestly think its inspiring and motivational for the youth in today's modern world. ...