Jessica Darling's It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection

Product Information

Is it impossible for old elementary-school friends and new junior-high friends to all get along as just, you know, friends?

One day, if I have a daughter, I’d love to pass these books onto her to introduce her to one of my fave all-time series (as it is I have a cousin that’s in the appropriate age range that might enjoy this), but for now, I think I’ll let Jessica’s past be in the past. I loved her outlook on things, it was pretty mature for her age as she was able to see through a lot of the drama that most kids her age aren’t able to and it totally worked. Megan McCafferty’s It List series introduces readers to Jessica Darling, an unabashedly brainy seventh grader who stays true to herself, even if it means being (totally not) cool. In this installment of the series, Jessica struggles to balance her old friends with her new friends which may lead to disastrous results.

As a 10-13 year old, you need a dose of reality and to know that it’s totally normal to not understand what’s cool, and what isn’t. McCafferty noted that "Books for teens have taken a huge beating in the media" in the aftermath of the incident. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the humor was still there and that in such a short book McCafferty was able to portray junior high life extremely well. When I got the opportunity to read and review her new prequel middle grade series I jumped at the chance and I am so happy that I did. Adults (parents and teachers), with few exceptions, are caricatures: exaggerated, one-dimensional, and often foolish.

She's funny, winning, and completely relatable, and it's impossible not to root for her through all her misadventures.After graduation, McCafferty worked in magazine publishing as an editor for Cosmopolitan, YM, and Fitness magazines.