May 8th- Amy Ignatow

Amy Ignatow will be at the Parkland Community Library to talk about her book The Popularity Papers.  (Books will be available for sale and she will sign them, too.)  That's on Saturday, May 8th from 1 t o2 pm.

I skimmed through the book a week or so ago and thought, "Cute!" and "Clever!" and then last night I sat down and read it from cover to cover.  It is one of the funniest books for middle grade readers that I have read in a long time.  (And, just between you and me, I read a LOT of books.)

Two best friends, Lydia and Julie,  decide that fifth grade is their last chance to learn what really makes people popular.  Their plan is to study what the popular girls do, copy them (Lydia's job because she is more daring) and write down their observations (Julie's job because she has better handwriting).  The book looks like a handwritten and illustrated notebook with the girls taking turns making entries, sometimes at the same time.  Experiments with hair color, clothes, after school activities, cell phones, whether or not to like boys all add up to a lot of fun.  A LOT of fun!!!  Read it.

Here's Amy's self-portrait and a short bio (just for fun.)