The Popularity Papers (Popularity Papers (Quality)) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I loved the first book, it was one of my favorites from last year. In book one, best friends Lydia and Julie uncovered the secrets to popularity. Now the two plan to use what they learned in first year of junior high. After Lydia's mom gets job opportunity in London, the friends are separated. Lydia and Julie continue to journal in their own distinct style to keep in touch.

The two have very different school experiences. One thing they have in common is their struggle to fit in. Lydia befriends the outcast, and becomes their sort of leader. (at least she thinks so) Julie joins the clique of 8th grader Della Dawns. Once in, Julie wants to get out. Her take on junior high cliques is very on point.

Pros- Everyone knows that if they mess with you, they're messing with the whole group, and it's sort of nice to be protected.

Cons- Sometimes you feel like you can't talk with anyone else who isn't in the group.

Ignatow has written a well layered story. There's a lot going on and it all blends in perfectly. I love that the author takes the time to include their families Julie's mom and older sister, Melody who is into goth and loves to knit. Lydia's dads, daddy and poppa dad are there loving and supporting her.

Julie is the artist and usually does the drawing for their journal. Now Lydia must do her own drawings, which are so bad they're funny. Apart from each, Lydia and Julie's voices become even more their own. Their observation and navigation of junior high are believable, realistic and funny. Fans of the first book will love this one as well.

Lydia's mom has gotten a great job opportunity and will be going off to England with her two daughters, much to their dislike. One of the good things is that it will only be for six months, but that's still six months of middle school away from her best friend, Julie. While in England, Lydia forms a group of friends consisting of some of the kids on the outer fringe of popularity. As for Julie, she makes her way into one of the most popular cliques at school known as the Bichons.

Using some of what they observed in the first book, both girls try and become a bit more popular - and still learn as much as they can - in their respective corners of the world. I personally love anything that deals with England, so it was really fun to see Lydia's adventures there and the new words she learned. Lydia's particular crisis in this book is that she must learn to accept people as they are and sure, encourage your friends, but don't force them to do things. She also must deal with her mom possibly falling for a guy, and where does that leave her? Stuck in England?

Julie, on the other hand, is doing pretty well for herself - or so you think. She soon realizes that the Bichons aren't that great of people, and she'll have to figure out just who her real friends are and how to stand up for herself.

These are all pretty universal issues, and some of them can take place at even an older age, which goes with the idea that these aren't just for the middle grade crowd. I like that the girls are a bit clueless with things. I don't think they are too "dumb" or anything, just a bit naive. They are kind of dorky girls who really only had each other for awhile, and here they are in middle school with kids from various elementary schools and they have to survive. Well, at least Julie does. Lydia has to make do with everything being new.

I loved that Ms. Ignatow plays with Lydia and Julie's friendship in various ways. They aren't always happy with each other - they argue, they write things about each other (for only their eyes), and they stop talking sometimes. It's a normal friendship that grows and changes.

As for Julie's dads, you see them just as much in this installment as the previous one, and they are just as adorable! I think the author does a great job showcasing various parents and siblings (such as Lydia's sister, Melody). They are all very unique and their own people - but it works somehow, just like with most families!

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

I was so excited to get my hands on the sequel to The Popularity Papers and luckily, it did not disappoint!! In this book, the main characters are split "across the pond" with one of them in London, which works really well for the format of Amy Ignatow's unique drawing and writing style. Julie and Lydia's individual voices really show through because they are constantly informing each other of what is going on in their worlds with the book being the visual record of their communications. Their different personalities and styles show through their thoughts, handwriting and drawing skills (or in Lydia's case, lack thereof). The storyline is great; with each of the girls weaving into or out of different middle school cliques and social groups and the trials, tribulations, benefits and reasons of that. The reason why I absolutely LOVE this book (and why I loved the first one) is how stunning the visual components are. Each page is hand drawn (and hand written, no fonts are used) and different from the other pages. Sometimes it's just the doodles behind and around the print-outs of the friends' online chats, sometimes it's illustrations of Julie's family (cat on Dad's head included), sometimes projects and artistic efforts by the characters. As before, there are little trinkets that appear as if they have been directly put into the book (I love the handiwipes!). Ignatow's remarkable method for creating books that are both entertaining and extremely visually mesmerizing is unlike any other book or series I have seen. I hope she continues to create such delightful handcrafted books for us for quite some time.