Stuff

by Jeremy Strong

Stuff is the nickname of our hero, Simon (because he knows a lot of weird stuff). Stuff's parents have split up, and his dad has brought back a new step-mum (the Sherry Trifle), a step-sister (the awful Natasha) and a radical feminist rabbit called Pankhurst (she only attacks men - spooky). In Stuff's own words, here is how he tries (and fails) to run away from home. How he tries to get off with the beautiful Sky, and dump girlfriend Delfine (without being beaten up by her psycho brother). In fact, how to get through life as a teenage boy.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Humor

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2005

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a Georgia Nicholson book for boys. Stuff (Simon) is so crazy. His sense of humor is great. I love the way his mind works.

[JANSTER457 · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon or “Stuff” is fourteen. His life is pretty normal until his dad brings home his new girlfriend who comes with a teenage daughter, Natasha, and an alarming amount of bath foam and hair products. They don’t get along. And soon after that, Stuff finds he’s not getting along with his girlfriend either – probably because of the new girl, Sky, who’s completely gorgeous and brilliant and funny. Too bad his girlfriend’s older brother Darcy will kill him if he breaks up with her. The only thing that’s going right is Stuff’s drawing – he’s got a comic strip he’s drawing that his art teacher has been running (anonymously) in the school magazine, Art Works. It’s not enough, though, so Stuff decides that the only way to make his life better is to run away. To this end, he starts collecting whatever he can to start his new life as a runaway. Unfortunately, his partner in crime, Pete, is never really serious about the idea, and Stuff doesn’t really want to go anywhere on his own, so he ends up having to face his problems in the end.

This amusing British story (includes glossary of Britishisms at the end) will have you laughing out loud. Stuff’s problems are the stuff of teenage drama – much bemoaned and fretted over, but not really as awful as he thinks/makes them out to be. All of his comics are included within the story, so you get to see how he imports his real life dilemmas into his comic universe (Matthew Armstrong, the illustrator, does a really great job). This should appeal to a wide range of teens because of the humor, the art, and the issues.

[Pino Radenti]

Stuff is a book by Jeremy Strong and it is about a boy going through typical teenage problems. The boy is called stuff as a nickname because he is always think and doing stuff. stuff is having a bad time because his parents split up and his dad found a new partner who is a snob and has a daughter who moved in with her who is even more of a snob. To make things worse a new girl moved to his school which he fancies and would like to go out with but his girlfriend which he is going out with now would get her brother to beat up him up so he can't. Stuff is having a hectic life which he wishes would just go back to normal.

[Isargent123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read! The classic story of an adolescent who thinks his life is so terrible!
Simon (A.K.A Stuff) is a modern day teenager whose parents have just seperated, imprisoning him with La Trifle and same-age step sister Natatsha (A.K.A Trash). While he faces hilarious problems at home he also faces another dilemma in his school life. The new kid, Sky, is a slim, pretty and irresistable girl that Simon cannot imaging no being with. But he already has a girlfriend, Delphine whose brother is as

[Int'l librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Prawns in Pants” and “Bats Buttocks.” It seems that Middle Schoolers now have their own set of superheroes to duel with Captain Underpants. Strong writes with similar scatological silliness, albeit somewhat more mentally and socially challenging – not that this is much of a feat given my choice of comparison.

There’s a similar sense of graphic goo to Strong’s cartoon panels as well. But by far most important, Punykid and Supersurfer are funnier than the Captain, both in cartoon and in their novelized real lives. And that is an accomplishment to admire.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty fun, I enjoyed how wacky and seemingly random the comic pages were but actually made sense after reading the main character's accounts.

However I found the description a little misleading, since the story focuses more about the comics and the main character's relationship troubles (both familial and romantic) than about how he retains a lot of random information.

[Agusia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of embarassed at how much I enjoyed a book filled with childish pictures and telling such a naive story. I don't regret a minute spent reading it though.
...Do people in Britain really talk like Stuff does?

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel inside a written story, I LOVE IT!! I really liked the characters in this book. If you're into stories that explore the changes around you and have the way to express them in a different form, you have to give this book a read.

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels, and I especially didn't like the style of the bits that were included. I just didn't connect to this one.

[Elzbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderfully funny book full of snark and wit. I highly recommend it!

[Iris Crum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorte books. I love seeing the eyes of the world through the main chareters eys.

[Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and witty book about a teen who has to face his problems.