The Popularity Papers
| Author | Amy Ignatow |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Publisher | Amulet Books |
Publication date | 2010- |
| Pages | 208 pages |
| ISBN | 0-8109-8421-0 |
The Popularity Papers is a middle grade book series written and illustrated by Amy Ignatow. The first book of the series was published in 2010. To date, six sequels have been published.
- Book one: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Apr 2010)
- Book two: The Long-Distance Dispatch Between Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Mar 2011)
- Book three: Words of (Questionable) Wisdom from Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Oct 2011)
- Book four: The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Apr 2012)
- Book five: The Awesomely Awful Melodies of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Mar 2013)
- Book six: Love and Other Fiascos with Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Oct 2013)
- Book seven: The Less-Than-Hidden Secrets and Final Revelations of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (Sept 2014)
Plot summary
Two fifth-grade friends, Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang, want to learn how to be popular before entering middle school. The first book of the series is their journal, documenting their misadventures to become more popular, as well as their family and school life.[1] Sequels continue the story of Lydia and Julie and their friends and families, as they progress into middle school.
Format
The story is told in a journal format, written and drawn by the two main characters. The books are hand-drawn, with each of the two main protagonists having a different writing and drawing style.
In interviews with the news media,[2] Ignatow has shown that she only uses writing and drawing implements that are easily available to children, such as crayons, markers, and colored pencils.
Awards and critical reception
The first book in the Popularity Papers series was selected as a top-ten title for 2011 by the American Library Association's Rainbow Project.[3] It was a 2010 Gold Award winner by the National Parenting Publications Association[4] and selected by the Chicago Public Library as one of the 2011 "Best of the Best" books.[5]
The first book's review in the New York Times 2010 summer reading issue (June 4, 2010) called the author "hugely talented".[6] Publishers Weekly noted that the plot was "predictable", but stated that "Readers will quickly devour this hilarious, heartfelt debut."[7]
The School Library Journal's blog called the first book, "A really great book and worth a close inspection. And if I absolutely have to compare it to Jeff Kinney’s series, I’ll do it this way: This is the funniest book I’ve read for kids since discovering Diary of a Wimpy Kid."[8]
Notes
- ↑ Summary of the "About the Book" information from the official site.
- ↑ See, for instance, the Scripps-Howard wire story published by the Seattle Times.
- ↑ lvs2read (2011-01-15). "2011 Rainbow Project List Announced!". American Library Association. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ "NAPPA Gold Award-Winners". Washingtonparent.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ "Best of the Best Reading List". Chicago Public Library. 1963-09-15. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ Barbara Feinberg (2010-06-04). "Bound by Friendship". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ "Children's Book Reviews". Publishersweekly.com. 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ "Review of the Day: The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow". School Library Journal.com. 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2011-03-08.