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.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

rilfis1617 - Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could change yearbook and put nerds in it? In Project (Un) Popular by Kristen Tracy, the main character Perry wanted to change yearbook. The setting in this book is at Perrys school. In this book Perry is the protagonist because she tries to put people like nerds and geeks in the yearbook. She is a sixth grader and has to try and find a way to let the geeks and nerds be in yearbook. The antagonists in the story are Perry and Anya. Anya is an antagonist because she starts a lot of trouble and gets Perry and her friend’s in a lot of trouble. Perry is also an antagonist because she goes behind her friends back and does a lot of things to try and get rid of a seventh grader that he bestfriend likes but she doesn't at all. One conflict in this story is that Perry wants her best friend Venice to not be friends with a seventh grader that Perry doesn't like. Another conflict that Perry runs into is that she wants to put a nerd in the yearbook but the head of yearbook doesn't want that at all. Perry does whatever she can to try to get a nerd in the yearbook Like taking a ladder from the janitor's closet . Even something that gets her in detention for a week. Her parents aren't very happy with her and she feels like her friend hates her. I would recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction books and like a lot of drama in their books.