Parents' Guide to

Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a NOT-SO-Popular Party Girl

By Kristen Breck, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Protagonist shows more depth here, but still pretty shallow.

Book Rachel Renee Russell Contemporary Fiction 2010
Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a NOT-SO-Popular Party Girl Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 10+

Based on 11 parent reviews

ThePomeroys
ThePomeroys Adult
August 29, 2018
age 14+

Not a Character building book.

Start reading through this book for our ten year old and what a terrible role model. If my child behaved like the main character in this book...materialistic and shallow, spoiled and not something I want my child to emulate.

This title has:

Too much consumerism
1 person found this helpful.
Yukiteru
Yukiteru Adult
January 5, 2018
age 9+

As a Grown Fan...

I loved this series when it came out, and now that I'm older I have a different viewpoint. What drew me to this series? The "dork" in the title, and a girl plainly being gossiped about on the cover. I could also relate to wanting a phone and not having one(I got a flip phone when I was 12 but desperately wanted a smartphone). When I was 9, I picked this book because Nikki was instantly relatable. I was worried about seeming weird and uncool, and Nikki seemed to be the perfect character for that. I liked that she wasn't happy-go-lucky, and seemed "real". I also thought Nikki was cool. Re-reading it, I can say that I'm wrong. Nikki is a materialistic jerk and hardly deserves the title of "dork". She takes delight in scamming others and getting ahead. For example, she is given thirty dollars to spend on a Father's Day gift. Instead, she buys herself things with that money. She is just as bad as her valley-girl archenemy, MacKenzie. The only thing that makes Nikki "dorky" is her drawing talent, which is considered cool in the book's universe. Her sister and friends are dorky, so I can only conclude Nikki is a dork by association. I think this series is appropriate for those 9 and up, as long as they realize how terrible of an influence Nikki is. I wish I had. The commonly cited excerpt "A celebrity commonly forgets to wear panties, but wouldn't be caught dead without her cell phone!" wasn't seen as anything bad when I had read the book as a tween. It's just meant to show that especially to celebrities, a cell phone is extremely important. Other than the blatant and prevalent consumerism(and Nikki's attitude), the series is fine for tweens. I'd compare it to the Clique series. As long as you take everything with a grain of salt, it's a fun read.

This title has:

Too much consumerism
1 person found this helpful.
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

This book leaves off one day after the first book ends, just after Brandon asks Nikki to be his science lab partner. This volume focuses on the Halloween dance, which happens to be the same night Nikki has promised to work at a ballet party hosted by her little sister's friend. Readers will recognize the cast of characters here, including mean girl MacKenzie, who is in charge of the dance. When MacKenzie suddenly resigns from her job, the Halloween dance might get cancelled -- and if MacKenzie's plan works, the entire school will blame Nikki. Can Nikki and her friends figure out a way for the dance to go on? And can Nikki juggle going to the dance with her friends, secretly being Brandon's date -- and fulfilling her promise to work at the ballet party?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (42 ):

The protagonist in this latest installment in the series continues to be dramatic, self-absorbed, and popularity-obsessed, but she does show some growth here. Nikki has a fleeting moment of compassion for her little sister when she freezes on stage, shows leadership by organizing the school dance -- and learns basic lessons about honesty and how to be a better friend when her best buddies discover her multiple commitments on the night of the dance. Even so, readers will have a hard time finding a character to relate to. Nikki overreacts to everything, and her "woe is me" attitude, constant irritation with her little sister, and flighty decision-making quickly grow tiring. Meanwhile, her nemesis MacKenzie remains a stereotypical enemy. Readers may find this book easy to read -- but other illustrated novels, like The Popularity Papers, will get them thinking deeper about themes like fitting in and friendship.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about self-image. Nikki's extremely self-degrading, calling herself "loser, "dork," and "pathetic." Is this something you hear your friends doing a lot? Does Nikki really mean what she says about herself -- or is she saying something else?

  • Lots of books, movies, and television shows talk about kids wanting to be popular. What are some other titles you can think of?

  • Do you think the media typically reflects how kids actually feel about the pressure to fit in -- or does it promote a shallow kind of popularity?

Book Details

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