Description
Pete Payne, aged 14, suddenly discovers one day that he suffers from hypochondriasis-that he is, in other words, a confirmed health freak.
For the next year he proceeds to confide to his diary such fascinating medical details as he is able to glean from any available source-including extracts from his 13-year-old sister's diary, which he sneaks a look at whenever he gets the chance.
His wide-ranging research, including much first-hand experience, extends to subjects as diverse as acne, warts, alcohol, drugs, headaches, depression, accidents, sex, diet, and generally surviving life with his parents and two sisters.
When his diary was originally revealed to an unsuspecting world the result was astonishing: teenagers piled out from behind the bike sheds to grab it from their friends; relieved teachers and startled parents were to be seen surreptitiously checking facts in well- thumbed copies. In response to international pressure Pete has now divulged the complete, unabridged, totally unexpurgated version, with no details spared for other teenagers who want to know but are too embarrassed to ask, for parents who know some of it but are too embarrassed to answer, and for teachers who know most of it but don't have time to explain.
