Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek
By Kate Pavao,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Middle schooler tries '50s popularity guide in fun memoir.
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What's the Story?
Maya is a self-described "Social Outcast" at her middle school in Brownsville, Texas. When she comes across a guide to popularity written in the 1950s, she decides to follow the advice written by a young model -- including wearing pearls, a girdle, and even planning a social event -- to see what will happen to her social world. Along the way, she answers her initial question -- "Can popularity advice from half a century ago still be relevant?"-- in a sweet and heartfelt way.
Is It Any Good?
POPULAR: VINTAGE WISDOM FOR A MODERN GEEK has a fun premise, and sweet, smart, sensitive Maya is a girl lots of tween and teen readers can relate to. Her crazy antics -- like wearing a girdle to school! -- will leave readers laughing. But they'll also be touched by some of the personal details she shares: She feels overwhelmed on the her dead sister's birthday, and also when a beloved teacher dies; her school is on the border with Mexico and students face lockdowns and searches from drug-sniffing dog; kids and adults often say hurtful things to her -- and she also catches herself saying inane things to them!.
Readers get a clear look at Maya's home and school life, and understand that while both can be hard, she sees what's special about them, too. It's these great details and Maya's authentic voice that make her realization that "most people are waiting to be discovered too" both believable and poignant. Some may find the original 1950s advice about watching your figure a bit old-fashioned and even offensive, but lessons about holding yourself with confidence and -- especially -- reaching out to other people, will make a bigger impression on readers, as they do on Maya.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about popularity. What does it truly mean to be popular?
The guidebook Maya uses encourages girls to watch their weight and think about how other see them physically. What do you think of this advice?
Which of Maya's experiments would you be willing to try? And which would you never, ever do?
Book Details
- Author: Maya Van Wagenen
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Dutton Books
- Publication date: April 15, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 272
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Award: ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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