Plot Summary: Steph Landry has been an outsider ever since she accidentally spilled that cherry big gulp on queen bee Lauren Moffat in 6th grade, and she's even the basis for the town saying "Don't pull a Steph Landry" - how embarrasing! As she enters her junior year of high school, Steph is determined to put all of that behind her, and with the help of a old book she found - How to be Popular - she's going to make it happen! Who cares if her best friend forever, Jason, doesn't like the new her? Steph's got bigger fish to fry this year, and with the book and her new outlook on life, nothings going to stop her! However, Steph soon finds that the book is right, getting popular is easy, it's staying popular that's hard!
Critical Evaluation: Meg Cabot is something of a legend in the YA chick lit field, she's surpassed the traditional popularity of YA authors and has blockbuster movies and millions and millions of copies sold to reflec this. How to be Popular, is just what we've come to expect from Cabot - a fun read that teen girls will devour. The plot is predictable and the characters are underdeveloped, but that won't matter to Cabot's avid fans. The addition of a lively set of adults and interesting family dynamic issues make it a step above the the basic choices in the genre. The fast pacing of the novel and the sheer ridiculous joy of Cabot's writing style make it a great choice for public and school libraries and should inspire reluctant readers to find additional similar titles. Cabot will never be an author who inspires the adulation of critics for the sheer power of her prose, but she never set out to be that kind of author and she is undoubtedly the queen bee in her genre.
Reader's Annotation: Steph Landry is tired of being the butt of the joke. This year's going to be different - this year she's going to be popular!
About the Author: Meg Cabot was born in 1967 in Bloomington, IN. After receiving a BA in fine arts from Indiana University in 1991 Cabot moved to New York City, where she worked as the assistant director of a residence hall at NYU for 10 years, before transitioning to writing full time. She is most well known for her Princess Diaries series of novels, which have been adapted into two full length feature films and have sold more than 16 million copies world wide.
Cabot continues to write profusely and has several novels in the works for publication in the next few years, for both young adults and adults. She primarily writes in the chick lit genre, but is crossing over into mystery and paranormal romance. She lives in Key West, FL, with her husband and cats.
Information retreived from http://www.megcabot.com/
Genre: Chick Lit
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas: What does it take to be popular at your school - different or similar to Steph's world in this book?
Reading Level: 12+
Interest Age: 13+
Challenge Issues: N/A
Why is This Included: Meg Cabot is a powerhouse in the YA chick lit genre, and this is a lively fun break from her Princess Diaries series. This book would be a good pull for the reluctant female teen reader and should pique interest in other titles.
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