A change in classroom seating arrangements challenges old habits and leads to a new friendship in this funny new school story from award-winning author Anne Fine. A change in classroom seating arrangements challenges old habits and leads to a new friendship in this funny new school story from award-winning author Anne Fine. At first Ben doesn’t want to sit next to Alice in the classroom.

She’s scary and tells him off for his squiggly drawing and poor handwriting.

She even points out his bad table manners. But when Ben starts to take Alice’s advice, he realises that she might have a point and discovers that sitting next to her isn’t so bad after all.