How to Be Popular

How to Be Popular\ \ By Meg Cabot \ HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.\ Copyright © 2006 Meg Cabot\ All right reserved.\ ISBN: 0060880120 \ \ \ \ Chapter One\ \ T-minus two days and counting\ saturday, august 26, 7 P.M.\ I should have known from the way the woman kept looking at my name tag that she was going to ask.\ "Steph Landry," she said as she pulled out her wallet. "Now, how do I know that name?"\ "Gosh, ma'am," I said. "I don't know." Except that, even though I had never seen this woman before in my life, I had a pretty good idea how she might have heard of me.\ "I know," the lady said, snapping her fingers, then pointing at me. "You're on the Bloomville High School women's soccer team!"\ "No, ma'am," I said to her. "I'm not."\ "You weren't on the court of the Greene County Fair Queen, were you?"\ But you could tell, even as the words were coming out of her mouth, she knew she was wrong again. I don't have Indiana county fair queen hair -- i.e., my hair is short, not long; brown, not blonde; and curly, not straight. Nor do I have an Indiana county fair queen bod -- i.e., I'm kinda on the short side, and if I don't exercise regularly, my butt kind of . . . expands.\ Obviously I do what I can with what God gave me, but I won't be landing on America's Next Top Model anytime soon, much less the court of any fair queen.\ "No, ma'am," I said.\ The thing is, I reallydidn't want to get into it with her. Who would?\ But she wouldn't let it go.\ "Goodness. I just know I know your name from somewhere," the woman said, handing me her credit card to pay for her purchases. "You sure I didn't read about you in the paper?"\ "Pretty sure, ma'am," I said. God, that would be just what I need. For the whole thing to have shown up in the paper.\ Fortunately, though, I haven't been in the paper since my birth announcement. Why would I? I'm not particularly talented, musically or otherwise.\ And while I'm in mostly AP classes, that's not because I'm an honor student or anything. That's just because if you grow up in Greene County knowing that lemon Joy goes in your dishwasher and not your iced tea, you get put in AP classes.\ It's actually sort of surprising how many people in Greene County make that mistake. With the lemon Joy, I mean. According to my friend Jason's dad, who is a doctor over at Bloomville Hospital.\ "It's probably," I said to the woman as I ran her credit card through the scanner, "because my parents own this store."\ Which I know doesn't sound like much. But Courthouse Square Books is the only independently owned bookstore in Bloomville. If you don't include Doc Sawyer's Adult Books and Sexual Aids, out by the overpass. Which I don't.\ "No," the woman said, shaking her head. "That's not it, either."\ I could understand her frustration. What's especially upsetting about it -- if you think about it (which I try not to, except when things like this happen) -- is that Lauren and I, up until the end of fifth grade, had been friends. Not close friends, maybe. It's hard to be close friends with the most popular girl in school, since she's got such a busy social calendar.\ But certainly close enough that she'd been over to my house (okay, well, once. And she didn't exactly have the best time. I blame my father, who was baking a batch of homemade granola at the time. The smell of burnt oatmeal WAS kind of overpowering) and I'd been over to hers (just once . . . her mom had been away getting her nails done, but her dad had been home and had knocked on Lauren's door to say that the explosion noises I was making during our game of Navy Seal Barbie were a little too loud. Also that he'd never heard of Navy Seal Barbie, and wanted to know what was so wrong with playing Quiet Nurse Barbie).\ "Well," I said to the customer, "maybe I just . . . you know. Have one of those names that sounds familiar."\ Yeah. Wonder why. Lauren's the one who coined the term "Don't pull a Steph Landry." Out of revenge.\ It's amazing how fast it caught on, too. Now if anyone in school does anything remotely crack-headed or dorky, people are all, "Don't pull a Steph!" or "That was so Steph!" or "Don't be such a Steph!"\ And I'm the Steph they're talking about.\ Nice.\ "Maybe that's it," the woman said doubtfully. "Gosh, this is going to bug me all night. I just know it."\ Her credit card was approved. I tore off the slip for her to sign and started bagging her purchases. Maybe I could tell her that the reason she might know me is because of my grandfather. Why not? He's currently one of the most talked about -- and richest -- men in southern Indiana, ever since he sold some farmland he owned along the proposed route of the new I-69 ("connecting Mexico to Canada via a highway 'corridor'" through Indiana, among other states) for the construction of a Super Sav-Mart, which opened last weekend.\ Which means he's been in the local paper a lot, especially since he spent a chunk of his money building an observatory that he plans to donate to the city.\ Because every small town in southern Indiana needs an observatory.\ Not.\ It also means my mother isn't speaking to him, because the Super Sav-Mart, with its reduced prices, is probably going to put all of the shops along the square, including Courthouse Square Books, out of business.\ But I knew the customer would never fall for it. Grandpa's last name isn't even the same as mine. He was afflicted from birth with the unfortunate moniker of Emile Kazoulis . . . although he's done pretty well for himself, despite this handicap.\ \ Continues... \ \ \ \ Excerpted from How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot Copyright © 2006 by Meg Cabot. Excerpted by permission.\ All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.\ Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. \ \

\ Publishers WeeklySteph Landry is tired of being unpopular ("If anyone in school does anything remotely crack-headed or dorky, people are all, `Don't pull a Steph!' "). After she discovers an old guide to popularity, she resolves to improve her status. She buys a new wardrobe, organizes a school fundraiser and smiles a lot. The plot is entertaining, if predictable: Steph quickly rises to the top, even forming a friendship with her cute crush. But along the way she strains her relationship with her best friend and neighbor, Jason-and slowly sees that life at the pinnacle is not all it seems. Readers may have trouble believing that the heroine's sixth-grade faux pas would warrant the long-term wrath of the school's queen bee (Steph accidentally spilled her Big Red Super Big Gulp on Lauren's designer skirt in front of the whole cafeteria). But the characters and dialogue come across as genuine and funny. Readers will likely find the antiquated advice from the popularity book hilarious ("People are drawn to those who have the ability to make them feel excited whether about a car wash, a weenie roast, or a sock hop!"). Steph realizes there is some truth to it, though, even if what the book really helped her do was figure out how she feels about Jason. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ KLIATT\ - Joanna Solomon\ To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2006: Steph, funny and wholesome, is notorious at her school for once spilling a drink all over the most popular girl. Time has passed and she's fed up with being the butt of all jokes. When Steph comes across a book called How to Be Popular, she quickly sets out to change her reputation and present a new self. She makes huge strides in what she thinks is the right direction, which causes her to question what she is doing. In the process of becoming popular, she learns about herself and what she actually values, bringing the novel to a satisfying end. As with most Cabot characters (Princess Mia of the Princess Diaries series, for instance), the voice of Steph is well developed and realistic. She comes across as a smart, pleasant teenager who is simply doing what she thinks is sensible. The message about the unimportance of popularity comes across loud and clear by the end of the novel. Even though it's predictable how Steph will end up, the book is still fun and the characters keep it interesting. Reviewer: Joanna Solomon\ \ \ VOYA\ - Stephanie Petruso\ Steph Landry is tired of being unpopular. She has been the target of jokes since sixth grade when she spilled a red soda on Lauren Moffat's white D&G skirt. Lauren coined the phase "Don't be such a Steph Landry" to ensure she never lived it down. Steph has since been content to hang out with her best friend, Jason, but as she enters eleventh grade, she wants more out of high school. Luckily she finds an old copy of "How to be Popular." The book is full of useful tips, such as "No one likes an arrogant person who lords her supposed superiority over others." She follows the book's advice and begins the school year with flatironed hair and a new attitude. She is determined to be confident and enthusiastic about school. She sits with new people at lunch and organizes a talent auction. Steph does not anticipate Lauren being so angry about her attempt to join the popular crowd or that Jason would be so hurt that she is leaving him behind. As her popularity grows, Steph is forced to make some difficult choices about who and what is truly important to her. Cabot deserves her reputation as one of teen chick lit's most entertaining authors. This endearingly funny book looks at the pain of feeling unpopular. Steph and Jason's friendship will have readers laughing and rooting for her to see what is right in front of her. Public and high school libraries will definitely want to add it to their collection.\ \ \ \ \ Children's LiteratureMeg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries, knows a thing or two about how to be popular. Her books are some of the most widely read fiction for adolescent girls in this country. Her new book, How to Be Popular, will be no exception. It follows the common Cabot theme of a slightly geeky girl improving herself to good ends and does so with Cabot's characteristic charm. Steph Landry has been roundly shunned in her small town for years following an unfortunate incident in which she spilled a red slurpee on the white skirt of the town's most popular girl. In an attempt to change her image, Steph acquires a book titled, How to Be Popular. Not surprisingly, her behavior as she follows the book's advice manages to alienate her two loyal best friends. Surprisingly, they are not too alienated AND she does manage to get in and stay in with the popular crowd. How to Be Popular was funny and sweet without being trite. Steph was easy to like and the book is easy to read. How to Be Popular is sure to be a popular choice. 2006, HarperCollins, and Ages 11 to 14. \ —Courtney Angermeier\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTSteph, funny and wholesome, is notorious at her school for once spilling a drink all over the most popular girl. Time has passed and she's fed up with being the butt of all jokes. When Steph comes across a book called How to Be Popular, she quickly sets out to change her reputation and present a new self. She makes huge strides in what she thinks is the right direction, which causes her to question what she is doing. In the process of becoming popular, she learns about herself and what she actually values, bringing the novel to a satisfying end. As with most Cabot characters (Princess Mia of the Princess Diaries series, for instance), the voice of Steph is well developed and realistic. She comes across as a smart, pleasant teenager who is simply doing what she thinks is sensible. The message about the unimportance of popularity comes across loud and clear by the end of the novel. Even though it's predictable how Steph will end up, the book is still fun and the characters keep it interesting. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2006, HarperCollins, 304p., and Ages 12 to 15. \ —Joanna Solomon\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 8 Up\ Meg Cabot's legions of fans will thoroughly enjoy her latest book (HarperTeen, 2006) focusing on the ever-important teen topic of popularity. The story centers on first-person narrator Steph Landry, so unpopular in her small Indiana town that a minor social faux pas in sixth grade has dogged her footsteps all the way to this first week of her junior year of high school. But now Steph has a secret weapon, a book on popularity she found and has used as a blueprint to design her way into the "It Crowd." At first, the reading of passages from "The Book" can be confusing by breaking into the story line, but soon listeners will realize that the excerpts focus on the coming plot events. In the last few chapters of the novel, "The Book" is replaced by intriguing quotes from famous people decrying popularity as a measure of anything. This mirrors Steph's growing awareness that popularity is really the same as having genuine friendships and the respect of others. Kate Reinders reads the sixteen-year-old point of view with a perfect combination of inflection and tone. A must for Cabot fans.\ —Jane P. FennCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsArmed with a plan, Steph Landry starts junior year determined to shake her place as the butt of her town's saying, "Don't pull a Steph Landry." The saying, coined by her stereotypically popular classmate, Lauren, is the product of a sixth-grade incident when Steph dropped her Super Big Gulp on Lauren's white designer skirt. Tired of suffering for her spill, Steph puts faith in How to Be Popular, a book specializing in reputation resuscitation. Snippets from this sometimes comically outdated text, introduce and loosely shape Cabot's chapters, but don't dominate letting Steph's plan play out naturally as she rockets to popularity and tries to figure out how to reconcile her new status with Jason, her childhood best friend. Steph's relationships with male characters, especially Jason and her grandfather, consistently ring true and develop Steph into a refreshingly believable teen. Despite featuring upperclassmen, Steph's aboveboard actions and mostly pure thoughts make this a fun and light text suitable for a younger audience wanting to read about older teens. (Fiction. 10-14)\ \