Fiction Friday | How Not to be Popular by Cecily Anne Patterson

Posted byIola Goulton 6 Comments on Fiction Friday | How Not to be Popular by Cecily Anne Patterson
Cover Image: How Not to be Popular by Cecily Paterson

How Not to be Popular by Cecily Patterson is a fun middle grade morality story that’s all about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.

Maddie is in her final year at Kangaroo Valley School. That means the chance to be voted Girl Leader of the school at the end of the year—something she’s always wanted. She’ll have to be popular to be voted Girl Leader, but that shouldn’t be a problem. She’s in the popular crowd in Year Six, not one of the ordinaries, and certainly not strange. Not like Tahlia, who wears funny clothes and plays with chickens.

But things start going wrong after the school camp at the beginning of the year.

Maddie does something she knows was wrong. What does she do about her friends, and about Tahlia? How does she reconcile her need to be popular with what she knows is right?

Yes, How Not to Be Popular is a middle grade morality tale about the importance of being a good friend and telling the truth. But it’s not at all preachy, nor is it predictable (as middle grade fiction can be). Maddie tells her own story (in first person point of view), and that saves it from any possible preachiness.

Instead, we’re inside Maddie’s head as she struggles with the consequences of her actions and her conflicting goals: to do right, and to be popular.

And things don’t always go according to plan.

Quote from How Not to be Popular by Cecily Paterson

How Not to Be Popular is a fun story with a serious message. But that message is presented in such a way that I’m sure it will keep pre-teen girls engaged and reading … and will hopefully give them cause to consider whether it’s better to be kind or to be popular. Recommended.

Thanks to Wombat Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Author

  • Iola Goulton

    Iola Goulton is the empty-nest mother of two who lives with her husband in the sunny Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, and writes contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi connection. She works part-time for a local company, wrangling spreadsheets by day and words by night.

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Published by Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is the empty-nest mother of two who lives with her husband in the sunny Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, and writes contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi connection. She works part-time for a local company, wrangling spreadsheets by day and words by night.

6 replies on “Fiction Friday | How Not to be Popular by Cecily Anne Patterson”

  1. It’s always best not to be preachy. And difficult, too, if you really want to get that point across. Well done, Cecily!

  3. This sounds like a great book for my daughter, who is the perfect age for this. I will be buying her a copy. Thanks for the review.

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