The Popularity
Papers – Amy Ignatow
Amulet Books -
978-0810984219
M:
Julie I must confess, I didn't want to like this book. At first glance, I
thought it looked like a female version of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID--which I'm a
bit over-saturated with, given all the movie talk and so on, even though I
haven't read it. So when I saw THE POPULARITY PAPERS, I thought, "Oh no,
what has Julie gotten me into now?" But I was wrong! I too laughed
out loud on the subway and snickered as I read about these two very earnest and
adorable girls trying to figure out what the secret code for popularity is. I
loved that popularity was something strange and in need of "serious"
anthropological research (like it was another culture altogether! Which it sort
of is). It showed just how silly and shallow a lot of it is. By the end I
didn't even mind the weird glances I got from the other subway riders.
J: Oh,
I'm so glad you liked it! I felt a little nervous recommending it to
you--partly because of the title. I can't help wishing they'd named it
something else. The truth is, I have a visceral reaction against spending
money and time on a book that so trumpets a fixation on popularity. But
of course that fixation can be a big part of growing up, even if I wish it
weren't. It's certainly a common theme in middle-grade novels. And,
ultimately, the book paints a nicely complicated picture of popularity.
So I've decided to get over it. Were you bothered by the title?
M:
You know, at first I was going to say no, I wasn't bothered by it; but then I
remembered that I did have an initial, "What is this about?" reaction
when I heard the title. Good thing I stuck to my "give every book a
chance" rule, or I would've missed out on this enjoyable read! So I
guess...don't judge a book by its cover OR its title?
J:
I'll work on that! Now that I've gone on and on about the title,
let me just add one or two more positives to our list: THE POPULARITY
PAPERS is *very* fun to read aloud to kids. I've had many, many requests
for readings from my daughters, who have also each spent much time enjoying it
on their own. And the overall design is very fun. Mia, anything to
add, positive or negative?
M: No! Overall I would say to our readers, give this book a try!
I love this book too! I was reading this book on metro north and laughing so much the conductor asked me what was going on!
Posted by: Kit | 07/07/2010 at 01:03 PM
So funny! It's a train epidemic!
Posted by: Julie Sternberg | 07/08/2010 at 05:45 PM
I love this book does anyone know if there will ever be a movie about it
Posted by: Jffddfghvsju | 02/20/2011 at 06:59 PM
I haven't heard anything yet about this becoming a film, but the second one is coming out soon, so if there's been any development it might be referenced in reviews.
Posted by: M.Garcia | 02/20/2011 at 10:46 PM