Stop by and check out my interview with Amy Ignatow and enter to win a copy of one of her books. The full March MG Madness schedule of events and giveaways can be found here.
The
Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General
Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang
by Amy Ignatow
4/1/10
Abrams
Format: hardcover
Source: pub
Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang are best friends with one goal: to crack the code of popularity. Lydia’s the bold one: aspiring theater star, stick-fighting enthusiast, human guinea pig. Julie’s the shy one: observer and artist, accidental field hockey star, faithful recorder. In this notebook they write down their observations and carry out experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But somehow, when Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, their efforts don’t translate into instant popularity. Lydia ends up with a bald spot, their parents won’t stop yelling, and Julie finds herself the number-one crush of Roland Asbjørnsen. Worse, they seem to be drifting farther and farther from their goal—and each other.Amy Ignatow’s hilarious debut novel introduces the intrepid fifth-graders Julie and Lydia, whose quest to understand popularity may not succeed in the ways they want, but will succeed in keeping readers in stitches.
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(who else loved this movie?!)
The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang is a mouthful of a title, but a bucket full of charm, humor, and heart. Amy Ignatow's quirky diary format style and illustrations combine to make a story about two friends that is worthy of such an impressive title.
Fifth-graders
Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang are life long best friends who
have one mission: become popular. To succeed in their mission they
set out to observe the popular girls and record their findings, which
they do in their trusty notebook. Outgoing Lydia is their human
guinea pig who experiments with their findings, while quite Julie
dutiful records their progress. And their progress is less than
stellar. No matter how much the girls try to be like the popular
girls, their results are disastrous (but funny). And even worse, the
girls find that their mission is tearing them apart. With a little
help from some unlikely sources, the girls discover that maybe
they've been going about things wrong.
Amy
Ignatow has crafted a refreshingly unique tale of fifth-grade woes
and the pains of growing up. Ignatow's two main characters are
delightfully endearing and her clever diary style of writing and
illustrations will have readers of all ages captivated.
I
love the diary/notebook format of this book! This format, along with
Ignatow's child-like illustrations and her two characters' spot on MG
voices, make for a truly memorable and entertaining read. The
unabashed quirkiness of this book is just so much fun. But the story
is also very realistic and believable. Lydia and Julie's often
awkward quest for popularity and experiences as pubescent tweens are
something that readers of all ages can relate to and understand. I
know I found myself relating to so much of what these girls go
through.
And
they go through a lot! From a disastrous hair bleaching incident that
results in a bald patch, to stick-fighting classes, unrequited
crushes and unwanted crushes, and a BFF fight, Lydia and Julie have
many adventures and misadventures that will make you giggle, cry, and
root for them. And best of all, readers will just love Lydia and
Julie. These two girls are far from perfect, but they are relatable,
funny, clever, and talented. I liked that they had two very distinct
personalities, but they meshed so well. Outgoing Lydia is
unpredictable and dramatic in a fun way, while timid Julie is witty
and sweet. I really enjoyed their strong friendship. And the
supporting characters shine as well. Julie's two dads are often
hilarious, Lydia's older goth sister is charmingly wry, and the
various popular girls have surprising depth. The cast of characters is also wonderfully diverse.
The
book ends on a very heartwarming and satisfying note that isn't too
cheesy or over the top.
MY
FINAL THOUGHTS: I
had a great time reading The Popularity Papers:
Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia
Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang. Author
Amy Ignatow's creation is unique, giggle-inducing, and fun to read
and look at. Readers of all ages will enjoy this MG read, but I think
younger readers will especially get a kick out of it. I look forward
to reading the other books in the series.
MY RATING
Amy Ignatow
Amy Ignatow is a cartoonist and the author of The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang. She is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design and lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Mark, and their cat, Mathilda, who is mostly very terrible.
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