The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection

Gr 6–9—Jessica Darling is about to enter her first year at Pineville Junior High, so her college-age sister gives her a short list of guidelines to ensure her success in the seventh-grade social scene. When she arrives at school, however, Jessica quickly realizes that following the tips will be harder than she expected. Her best friend has had a makeover and attracts the attention of freshmen football players, her new classmates have outlandish and confusing methods for trying to gain popularity, and she has mistakenly been scheduled for Woodshop, which includes a class full of smart-aleck boys led by a ridiculously off-the-wall teacher. As Jessica navigates this strange new world, she inevitably finds herself in situations both amusing and awkward, and she eventually starts to accept the fact that her sister's methods for surviving junior high might not work for her. Told in the hilariously authentic voice of a preteen girl, this book will have readers laughing out loud at Jessica's high jinks, especially her disastrous stint as the school's mascot.—Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY