Popularity Papers
2 primary works • 4 total works
Book 2
The Long-Distance Dispatch Between Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang
by Amy Ignatow
Published 1 March 2012
Amy Ignatow’s signature sense of humor is on full display in this satisfying sequel. After spending all of fifth grade studying popularity together, Julie and Lydia are finally ready to put their hard-earned lessons to use in junior high. But before they can, disaster strikes: Lydia’s mom gets a job in London for six whole months! Before Lydia can say “Fancy a cup of tea?” she’s thrust into a new school, where she earns a reputation as “the Violent American.” Meanwhile Julie’s stuck navigating the cliques of American junior high on her own and is adopted by a group of troublemaking eighth graders known as the Bichons. The two best friends will have to learn to keep in touch and stand on their own, assisted as always by their trusty notebook.
Book 4
It’s summertime, and Julie and Lydia are going on a road trip! After all the ups and downs of their first year in junior high, they’re looking forward to seeing the sights and getting some new perspective on their quest for popularity. Papa Dad and Daddy will provide the transportation, and they’ll provide the entertainment. At first Julie and Lydia use their Powers of Observation to catalog the traditions and oddities of each new location they visit, but soon their attention turns to parents and family and negotiating sensitive family dynamics. By the time the duo hits familiar streets again, they may have to accept some uncomfortable truths, but their journey is infused with the humor, heart, and truthfulness that Amy Ignatow is known for.
This scrapbook-style novel charts the friendship of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang as they embark on a quest to study the behaviours and tastes of the 'popular' girls so they can join their ranks in Secondary school. They scheme together to invent their first crushes, go to great lengths to obtain a mobile phone, and save each other from major embarrassment. When Lydia starts to become friends with the "popular" girls she's forced to choose between them and Julie. The Popularity Papers figures in the centre of an epic Secondary school power struggle. Their story is genuinely funny and good-hearted with a wealth of funny details. As they write their own story, their friendship evolves in touching and relatable ways.
Love is in the air! Julie and Roland are an official “couple,” which means . . . well, they’re not exactly sure what, except that it makes Papa Dad extremely anxious. Meanwhile, Lydia’s mum announces that she’s marrying Coach Eric (the football coach from England) and Lydia and her sister, Melody, are not happy about it. With the wedding date looming, the girls will have to figure out how to accept the inevitability of change—and realise that even if the change seems terrible at first, it can still end up all right, as long as you have good friends at your side.