'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother, Thomas, and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives re turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time...

 

 
This is a BBC Big Read book, and one I'm really looking forward to reading. One of the things I noticed early on was that, apart from all the Pratchett's, the majority of those chosen were a tad serious. This will make a nice break from the heaviness, and give me the chance to read a classic I missed as a child.