The Popularity Papers, Book 1

Lydia and Julie are best friends with one goal: to crack the code of popularity. Lydia’s the bold one: aspiring theater star, stick-fighting enthusiast, and human guinea pig. Julie’s the shy one: observer and artist, accidental field hockey jock, and faithful recorder. In this notebook they write down their observations and carry out experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But somehow, the harder Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, the farther they get from their goal—and each other. Amy Ignatow understands friendship and the fifth grade, and she knows just how to wring humor out of ordinary and extraordinary moments.

Amy Ignatow is a cartoonist and a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design, and she is very good at peeling oranges. She was in four musicals in high school and employed stealth and her wits to avoid being in any dance numbers. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Mark, and their cat, Mathilda, who is mostly very terrible.