Best Seller

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE YALSA AWARD • In this touchingly honest contemporary memoir, a middle-schooler entering high school firmly decides to become—wait for it—popular.

“Maya’s voice is fresh and frank, and her experiences at a middle school near the Mexican border provide an often overlooked perspective.”—Booklist

“Funny, determined, and wry.”—Rachel Hartman, bestselling author of Seraphina

Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help a shy girl become popular?

Maya Van Wagenen is about to find out.

Stuck near the bottom of the social ladder at “pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. The real-life results are hilarious, painful, and filled with unexpected surprises—but through it all, Maya’s positive approach helps her to reveal a new understanding of self-confidence, kindness, and acceptance.

“I was inspired by her journey and made a point of saving a copy of ‘Popular’ for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.”—Maude Apatow, The New York Times Book Review

“Popular taps into a feeling shared by Bradbury and Bieber enthusiasts alike—the need to fit in during middle school.”—USA Today

“Everyone’s happiness project looks different, and I was utterly charmed by Maya Van Wagenen’s honest, funny, and thought-provoking account of her efforts to become ‘popular.’”—Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project

“Geeky and dorky, but never wimpy, Maya Van Wagenen is as powerful and honest as she is quirky and funny—and startlingly gifted. She’s the real deal, folks, a teenage John Green for the next generation. Stunning.”—Margaret Stohl, bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series

“Maya Van Wagenen’s memoir, Popular, would have been wonderful to read as a kid, and so reassuring to Nerdy Teenage Me. Her year-long experiment in popularity is timeless; the intelligent and humane way she gets to the heart of the matter is uniquely her. Funny, determined, and wry, Van Wagenen has written a wise, heartfelt guide for other kids eager to keep up.”—Rachel Hartman, bestselling author of Seraphina

“An interesting and earnest memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews

“While completely appropriate for middle school readers, Popular is even more entertaining for adults. Van Wagenen is a uniquely gifted talent with a gem of a first novel”—VOYA

ISBN9780147512543

Published onApr 21, 2015

Published bySpeak

Pages272

Dimensions5-1/2 x 8-1/4

Age Range12 and up

GradeGrade 7 & Up

Reading LevelLexile: 730L

Author

Maya Van Wagenen

Maya Van Wagenen lives in Georgia with her partner and their many pets. Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award for Best Artistic Expression of the Disability Experience, Maya’s second book and first novel, Chronically Dolores, is inspired by her experiences as a teenager with an incurable bladder condition. She is passionate about bringing visibility to youth with chronic illness and validating the questions, fears, and absurdities that accompany a lifelong diagnosis in childhood.

Learn More