The Worst Girlfriend in the World

Alice is known in Merrycliffe-on-Sea as the worst girlfriend in the world: the girl who makes boys do whatever she wants, only to unceremoniously dump them as soon as she gets bored. But to Franny, Alice is simply her best friend: the girl she's known since she was in nappies, and who makes her laugh more than anyone else.

But when Franny starts a fashion course at college instead of staying on at school for A Levels, their formerly unshakable friendship is put to the test. Then Alice commits the ultimate best friend crime: she sets her sights on Louis, the handsome, skinny-jeaned singer of (bad) local band Thee Desperadoes, who just happens to be the boy that Franny has had a crush on since forever...

Set in a northern seaside town, this is a funny, smart novel about the ups-and-downs of teenage friendship. Sarra Manning captures teenage voices perfectly, and young readers will find it easy to empathise with the trials and tribulations of small town heroine Franny, who dreams of becoming a fashion designer whilst dealing with the day-to-day realities of her mother's depression. With romance, sharp-eyed humour and a distinctly contemporary feel, this is a hugely enjoyable teen novel about the power of female friendship.