Project Un-Popular

April 1, 2016
When Anya, the stylish and popular yearbook editor, insists that all of the photos feature Rocky Mount Middle School's most popular students, best friends Perry and Venice are determined to make sure the yearbook is for everyone, not just the beautiful people. Perry feels caught between going along to get along and fighting for what is right. Her clueless parents and her checked-out teachers are little help. And unfortunately, neither Venice's angry, confrontational solution nor Perry's sister's peace-and-harmony plans are a good fit. Perry must learn to navigate the politics of middle school largely on her own. Evolving friendships, first crushes, and bullying are just a few of the difficulties she must face. Ethnicity is only hinted at in characters' names, but the principals appear to be white. Narrator Perry's angst is age-appropriate and understandable, but her unending navel-gazing and melodrama quickly become too much for the thin plot to bear. Dialogue is often repetitive or seems to try too hard. Exclamation points abound as characters proclaim one another to be "amaze-balls" and "nutzoid." The final lesson seems to be be true to yourself, but in the end, Perry gives no indication that she is any closer to knowing who that is. And while readers may forgive Perry for her mistakes, watching her indecision is exhausting. (Un)successful. (Fiction. 9-13)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-Cursed orange hoodies, toxic triangles, and conspiracy theories infiltrate Perry's world when she begins sixth grade. As junior photographers for the yearbook, Perry and her best friend, Venice, quickly discover shooting pictures is not about focusing, framing, and capturing the best moments, but, rather, about posing the popular kids. Determined to take a stand, they decide to photograph only "nerds," but when Venice starts falling for Leo and an increasingly complex plan evolves, Perry questions her motive. The popular eighth-grade yearbook editor, Anya, preys on Perry's vulnerability, sending her spying and scheming. Perry gets behind in her schoolwork, worries that her friendship with Venice is "dunzo," and ultimately ends up in the principal's office. Middle grade readers will relate to the complexities of friendship showcased in this novel. Taking on everything from first boyfriends to the lure of popular older students, author Tracy successfully captures Perry's struggle to weigh options and choose sides. Perry's panicked phone calls to her older sister, her deleted and revised text messages, and her narration throughout reveal her character as a typical middle schooler-confident at times and completely uncertain at others. Despite her struggles, in the end, readers will be satisfied that Perry begins to find her way, and they will be eager to learn how she moves forward in the sequel.

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