105 Ways to Give a Book

Yeah! Teen Read Week

How to Be PopularWith all of the initial buzz about How To Be Popular and the tie-in to Clinique, I was interested to read it. I read The Princess Diaries and... no, hold it — that’s all I’ve read by Meg Cabot, come to think of it. Not that there’s anything wrong with her books, but if I’m going to read chick lit, I’ll read chick lit — not teen chick lit.

Anyway, I wasn’t all that put out by the connection with Clinique — not happy, but not unhappy — until an actual Clinique postcard ad fell out of the book, and then I thought ewww. Because it feels wrong to have an ad fall out of your book. Your Glamour, your Cosmopolitan, your Playgirl, fine. But not a book. Thankfully for all the other borrowers of this book, I’ve “lost” the ad, so they will not be faced with this ick factor.

The book itself is cute enough. Ever since Steph spilled a drink on the popular girl’s skirt, her name has been synonymous with “screw-up.” As in, “Way to pull a Steph Landry.” She’s determined to become popular this year, thus removing the stain from her name forever more. Her inspiration for the plan is an old book she found titled, “How To Be Popular,” which, though dated, offers her advice along the way. Complicating matters is her relationship with her two best friends — one of whom is a cute booooy — and her crush on the most popular boy in school.

Fun book. I’m not sure where the Clinique connection fits in, since it isn’t mentioned in the book at all, but, y’know, like, whatever.

1 comment:

Kairi said...

Meg Cabot writes some really great adult books too. You should read one.