How Not to Be Popular (ISBN 0385734654)

Funny. funny:
You can't imagine how excited I was to finally read this book. I bumped it up ahead of all the others on my TBR pile (sorry to all authors waiting for their reviews!) because Jennifer and I had been talking for well over a month and I hadn't had a chance to check out her work yet. When she offered to send me it, I was so over-the-moon, I seriously broke down and did a little number or whatnot in my living room. I swear, I freaked my brother out. But *ahem*. I guess the reason I was so in dire need to read How NOT To Be Popular is that I, too, have moved around my fair share and I wanted to see if I could relate to the main character, Sugar Magnolia Dempsey (no, I am not kidding) (call her Maggie). I am so sick of reading sad books about moving--damn it, I have my own life's sob fest to keep me depressed if I wish to be. I wanted some humor along with the situation. And anyone who's read the back cover's Tips for NOT Being Popular (posted above) can only hope that's what this book will provide. Hey, it did. I liked this. Even though it's laced with humor, How NOT To Be Popular does touch on some important themes. Maggie goes down a tumultuous road filled with lies and the turnaround is not at all what she expected--she's actually accepted by her peers because she's "real". Is her deceit excusable because she was only trying to protect herself? Or does that make her all the more selfish? And, as a side note here, I was discussing the irony of Maggie's supposed image with Jennifer. Maggie tries to copy her only friend, Penny, because Penny is naturally good at being "uncool". People praise Maggie for her authenticity but they treat Penny like crap. Does realism have to come in a certain package for it to be appraised? Why is Maggie accepted but not Penny? Like I said, while it is a generally light book, it does have its thought-provoking moments. Now, for the criticism. The reason I'm giving this book four stars instead of five is because it had a slow going all the way through that interefered with the narrative. Could've been tightened. Also, much as I understand Maggie, I got irritated with the way she treated people at some points in the novel. Maybe it fits the bill for what her character was supposed to be, but it did get a rile out of me. Recommendation? Yup. It's damn funny. :)

Fun, quick read:
This novel is about a teenage girl named Maggie (real name: Sugar Magnolia) whose hippie parents don't like to live in one place for very long. As a result, Maggie is moving to yet another new town and is tired of leaving and eventually losing her friends. So, she hatches up a plan to be unpopular and thus not make any friends at all, but in the end (I don't think this is a spoiler for anyone) she does. As a disclaimer, I have to say that I am a fan of adult chick lit, but have a harder time with YA chick lit, mostly because I was not as boy crazy as most of the teenage main characters in this genre. So, in the beginning, I really disliked this book. The main character initially comes across as whiny and snobby--every parent's nightmare of what their teenager will turn into. But after the first few chapters, the humor of her situation begins to seep through. She obviously loves her flighty parents who are embarrassingly funny and begins to realize how shallow she used to be. Eventually she begins to empathize with her new dorky friends (who sound like the type of people I would have hung around in high school). The novel is obviously not intended to be great literature, but rather a fun, quick read and I think it served its purpose pretty well. While I was reading, I could definitely see this novel spinning off into a teen chick movie in the vein of "Mean Girls", starring any of the popular teen actresses of the moment.

The Compulsive Reader's Reviews:
Maggie Dempsey has lived her life all over the country...a few months here and a few months there. And she is sick of it. It is during her family's latest move from Portland to Austin that she comes up with the perfect plan. At her new school, she won't make friends, she won't join any clubs...she won't invest herself in Austin, so when it comes time to leave, it won't hurt at all. At least, that's what she thinks. Hilarious, upbeat, and full of confidence, Maggie is one knock out of a narrator. Ziegler cleverly draws the reader in at the beginning of each chapter with hints for being unpopular, such as "Only popular people join popular clubs. And...it always helps to be seen lugging around foliage." Maggie keeps the reader in excited anticipation at what she'll do next as her plan backfires and every uncool action slowly becomes a beacon for all that's cool and real in her conforming high school, giving us a whole new perspective on what popularity really consists of. Full of wry humor, outrageous clothes, crazy antics, and misunderstandings, How NOT to be Popular is the best fun you'll have all summer.

One Of The Best This Year!:
Maggie Dempsey has always lived her life as a free spirit with her parents. They move from place to place and are proud hippies. Maggie has had enough when her parents tear her away from her great boyfriend and her friends, when they leave Portland to move to Austin. Maggie decides that the only way for her to not get hurt again is to try not to fit in or make any friends. Easy? Well, not so much. Maggie goes out of her way to make bad fashion choices and say all the wrong things. Trying her hardest to make it difficult for people to like her, Maggie can hardly believe it when the popular guy at school is harassing her and she found a girl, Penny, who sits at lunch with her and makes all kinds of conversation. Then Maggie remembers, for college, she must get a letter of recommendation from a teacher. What better way than to join a club? Penny announces to her at lunch one day that she's in Helping Hands, it's a club that does community service projects and fundraisers. That's perfect for Maggie, a club filled with do-gooders that will not pay attention to her, and she gladly joins. What she's not prepared for is the possible friendships and heartache that could be on the way. Okay, I have to say that I LOVED THIS BOOK. No joke, and with that said on with my review. This is the funniest and most entertaining book that I've read all year. I had to put the book down a couple of times, because I was laughing so hard, that I couldn't see the pages. Maggie tries so hard not to be popular, but sometimes , because she is trying so hard, that it just draws more attention to her. But, Maggie just has her best interest at heart, or so she thinks. She doesn't want to be hurt again, and who can blame her? This is a must read for everyone so, put it on your list to buy, I can promise that you won't be disappointed! (...)

Fun and Fabulous:
Maggie Dempsey is a pro at fitting in. That's because she never stays in one place for more than eight months. And that's because her parents are all about "going somewhere." They don't see it as "leaving," unlike Maggie, who's had to leave behind a best friend and a boyfriend in Portland, Oregon. Maggie is tired of being hurt, so she comes up with Operation Avoid Friends: she's going to be unpopular. This is harder than it sounds. Maggie has to come up with ridiculous schemes in order to seem like a complete freak that no one should hang out with. But the hottest guy at the school won't leave her alone. Maggie is starting to form friendships with members of the Helping Hands club. And people start to copy her elaborate and crazy costumes that she wears to school. It's almost seems that Maggie is...popular. I thought that How Not to be Popular was one of the best and most refreshing books I've read in a while. Maggie's character is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and so are her parents. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maggie's story and her struggles between wanting to have the easy way out and being herself. The plot was easy to follow and fun to read, although some parts of the story were more emotional. I highly recommend this book for teens, and I hope Jennifer Ziegler writes more fabulous novels like this one.