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Dec 22, 2010

Cara rated it:

Sugar Magnolia, weird name right? but our main character prefers to go by Maggie. It would be an understatement to say that she moves A LOT. Her parents are the "free sprited" type and don't get tied down to one place. She is fed up with losing friends (and now boyfriend) everytime she moves so she comes up with a brillant plan (well she thinks it's brillant). At her next school she is going to do everything possible to be the most unpopular student ever, so she'll never have to lose a More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Ash rated it:

This book was incredibly funny, though it's mostly because the main character embarasses herself so often. I found myself being embarassed for her a few times myself.

Qucik Overview: Maggie(Sugar Magnolia being her given name) has been moving around with her hippie parents her whole life and she's tired of it. Having to say goodbye to friends she just made, and having to be the new girl all over again. This last move was different though because this time she had to leave a boyfriend More...

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Jan 28, 2009

Steph rated it:

I guess the reason I was so in dire need to read How NOT To Be Popular is that I, too, have moved around my fair share and I wanted to see if I could relate to the main character, Sugar Magnolia Dempsey (no, I am not kidding) (call her Maggie). I am so sick of reading sad books about moving--damn it, I have my own life's sob fest to keep me depressed if I wish to be. I wanted some humor along with the situation. And anyone who's read the back cover's Tips for NOT Being Popular (posted above) can More...

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Nov 28, 2008

Becky rated it:

Ziegler, Jennifer. 2008. How Not To Be Popular.

Oh crap. What did I just do?

How Not To Be Popular begs the question how far would you go to not be popular. Maggie Dempsey hates her life, hates her parents. Okay, maybe hate is too strong a word. She hates the fact that just when she's getting settled down, making friends, having a love life, her parents decide it's time to move. Again. And again. And again. This time, Maggie has had it. She's definitely HAD IT. No more sett More...

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Mar 31, 2009

Adriana rated it:

The story centers on Maggie (Sugar Magnolia by birth), who is the daughter of hippies that don't stay in one place too long. Her parents are free spirits and every time she moves, she always loses friends, and sometimes boyfriends. It picks up when they are moving to Austin, Texas. Maggie has a boyfriend, but not long after they have gone, he sends her a text saying he can't do the whole long distance thing. So Maggie hatches a plan to not let herself get attached in Austin, since she knows More...

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Apr 29, 2008

Rachael rated it:

Maggie Dempsey is a pro at fitting in. That’s because she never stays in one place for more than eight months. And that’s because her parents are all about “going somewhere.” They don’t see it as “leaving,” unlike Maggie, who’s had to leave behind a best friend and a boyfriend in Portland, Oregon. Maggie is tired of being hurt, so she comes up with Operation Avoid Friends: she’s going to be unpopular.

This is harder than it sounds. Maggie has to come up with ridiculous schemes in orde More...

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Feb 26, 2009

Kelly rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2011

Paradoxical rated it:

The thing about books like How Not to be Popular is that while the underlying themes may be about being yourself, okay with who you are, and so on and so forth, they fail somewhat in execution. Why? Because they invariably descend into cliche, shove everyone in tidy, neat little groups, and then top it off with a main character that finally figures out that popularity is not everything (or, you know, important at all) and is finally okay with who she is (which, while good, is always the same unp More...

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Jun 05, 2011

Karen rated it:

Hilariously funny! Maggie has just moved to Austin, Texas with her loveably wacky hippie parents who have moved every few months, living all over the world, doing whatever they wanted when the mood struck them. Maggie left behind good friends and her boyfriend Trevor in Portland, Oregon. Trevor dumps her via a text message, and Maggie decides that she is never, ever getting attached to anyone again, since that would only make leaving painful (again). And thus begins the social experiment of More...

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Feb 25, 2011

Bunners rated it:

Ugh.

You know, unless it's explicitly stated that the book I'm reading is fantasy, I like it to have some kind of grasp on reality.

This one didn't.

I got about half way through before I gave up and read the last chapter before tossing it on the pile to take to the used bookstore. The characters were unrealistic and the plot was ridiculous and shallow and none of it seemed to get any better by the end of the book.

Maybe it's me? Maybe I was expecting too muc More...

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Dec 27, 2009

Alison rated it:

this book is about a girl, named Maggie, who lives with her hippy parents.her parents love to move, so she never stays in one place for more then 8 months. Every time she has to move she loses good friends. so when she moves from Portland to Austin Texas, she decides enough is enough. she decides to act like a social outcast, so she wont make any friends. she fails.

i can kind of relate to her, or at least see where she is coming from. i can see why she might want to try to make no More...

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Apr 24, 2009

Nian rated it:

Instead of a protagonist who wants to be popular, here's a main character who will stop at nothing to achieve the image of a dork. She'll wear jumpsuits, ugly flower caps, bring Star Trek lunchboxes to school, and even flash her undies in the movie theater to scare a boy away. But no matter what Maggie does, people are imitating her. Despite everything, she's becoming popular.

I liked the concept.

But the high school setting was so overused. So stereotypical. So exaggera More...

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Dec 25, 2010

Midnight rated it:

How Not To Be Popular is pure, fun entertainment filled with plenty of laugh out-loud moments and a storyline that will endear protagonist Maggie to readers on the spot. When I was midway through and had to stop to continue later, I kept thinking back to the novel and a smile would break out on my face as I remembered a particular scene. Seriously, this novel should come with a warning sign on it that says, "Beware: This novel will make you randomly smile and laugh when you're not reading i More...

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May 29, 2011

Salehah rated it:

I picked this up when I was taking a rest from studying; needed a break from the heavy reading. To be honest, another reason I read this was just to get it out of the to-read pile; I wasn't expecting this book to be much good, having already assessed it as a typical 'teen-y' book.

I was right. 'How Not to Be Popular' wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't bad either. If you happen to be in the mood for a shallow teen book. One of those 'superficial high school stories', as my friend More...

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Jul 30, 2009

Catherine rated it:

This teen novel is worth a read if you are a young teen. The plot was predictable in a sort of formulaic way, but if you arent' already aware of such writing formulas, it will hold your interest. The biggest problem I had with the story is that it's historical context is incorrect. The protagonist's parents are portrayed as free spirited hippie types, overeducated and restless. Since most of the people who bought into that scene are now in their 60's, maybe even older, it's not likely that t More...

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Feb 27, 2011

Samantha rated it:

Throughout her whole life, Sugar Magnolia Dempsey, who goes by the nickname Maggie, has moved around the country with her hippie parents. At first, she thought it was fun, a new adventure every time she moved to a new location. However, when she is forced to leave once again to go to Austin, Texas, she is unwilling. Doing so would mean leaving behind her amazing boyfriend, Trevor, and all the friends she made. She doesn't want to go. The move really hurts her, especially when Trevor breaks up wi More...

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Feb 11, 2009

Lnlisa rated it:

This one had me laughing hysterically for hours! Maggie was raised by hippie parents who are still footloose and fancy free, which basically means that now at the beginning of her Senior Year, Maggie has attended ten different high schools. The last move was especially emotionally wrenching for Maggie as she had to leave a boyfriend behind as well as a best friend, so she decides to do everything necessary to not make friends. What's interesting is that as well as being seriously funny, this b More...

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Dec 08, 2011

Aya rated it:

In the book, How Not To Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler is about this high school girl , Maggie Dempsey who keeps on moving to new schools and new states with her family. But suddenly, she gets an idea, a plan to "Have no Friends" so she would persuade her parents to leave her school. Her plan turns into a "have to be unpopular" plan. Sugar (Maggie) changed the ways she looks by hearing other peoples opinions on the "Ugliest" clothes. Maggie wore the ugliest, sillies More...

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Dec 11, 2011

Siti rated it:

QUARTER 1
Siti HM Khairi

How Not To Be Popular
by Jennifer Ziegler
352 pages
Delacorte Books $15.99
ISBN 0385734654

While girls would die and scratch their way to the top, Maggie Dempsey was already blessed with the popularity gene, rendering her the it girl and top of the top of the social rank in high school society. Now, if only her parents would understand. For one thing, they move every year, taking her with them. For Maggie that means, startin More...

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Jan 16, 2011

Alissa rated it:

Maggie has been moved from town to town, school to school way too much. She has said goodbye to too many friends. Each time, that goodbye gets harder. And now her parents are forcing her to move again. This time, Maggie swears things will be different. She hatches what she thinks is the ultimate plan for NOT getting too attached to anyone or anything. Too bad some plans backfire.

A wonderful story about going against the crowd and about discovering and expressing your true self. Maggi More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Clarence :P rated it:

Maggie is sick of moving all over kingdom come with her hippie parents. She's tired of severing friendships. And after moving from Portland, she's done with saying goodbye to boyfriends. Especially when he breaks off the "long term relationship" just three weeks after she's gone.
So Sugar Magnolia Dempsey, who is the master of fitting in, hatches a plan. She will try her hardest to NOT make friends and act like a loser. Since Maggie's dad owns a crazy second hand store, she g More...

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Dec 12, 2011

Amy rated it:

Maggie Dempsey can't remember ever being rooted down in one place. Her mother and father are free spirts and are constantly moving from place to place dragging Maggie with them. She is sick of having to leave her friends behind everytime she moves, so she comes up with a plan.
Maggie had sworn off friends and being normal. She is going to wear crazy ugly outfits and talk to all the wrong people. What's the point of making friends if you just have to leave them?

Sadly, things are More...

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Sep 26, 2009

Lauren rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 13, 2009

Minnie rated it:

So, you don't to be popular. Ok. Then do the exact opposite of everything you've ever learned to fit in. And, guess what? You may end up being popular anyway just as Maggie finds out in How Not to be Popular. Maggie is actually an expert at fitting in since her hippie parents keep moving all over the country every few months. But she is tired of leaving all her best friends, her boyfriends, and her heart in some place she called home for a brief moment. So, Maggie's new vow is to be one of More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Amy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Sep 24, 2008

Janssen rated it:

I anticipated giving this a four stars, but the last quarter of the book was not as strong as the first part. Cute and funny, though.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Nov 28, 2008

Alissa rated it:

This was an ok book, a bit on the long side (337 pages), but I did enjoy the “anti-popularity” tips which began each chapter. Maggie spends too much time obsessing about the boyfriend she left behind (who dumps her), and how her life isn’t fair. That bit gets old by page 150, when Maggie is meeting some fun and really interesting people (dorks, though).

Anyway, after spending 300 pages watching Maggie screw up you only get 30 pages in which she magically solves her problems and gets t More...

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Jul 03, 2010

Kelly rated it:

It was nice to like not to be POPULAR. Mostly everyone tries so hard to fit in or to be popular. She is different. That is the key of making this book hard to put down. She was being hilarious :P as I could say. But also she was a jerk in one or two chapters. I couldn't stand it because I hate those kind of saying. I think she was brave but not that much people can act like her. I have to amid that I don't like being popular but i don't like being my real self in front of others. I am ashamed. A More...

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Feb 15, 2009

Heather rated it:

This was a really cute book about a girl who is sick of constantly being moved around by her hippy parents. She is sick and tired of making friends, getting close to people, only to have to leave them a few months later. And now she's super upset about her latest move to Austin, TX, because she had to leave her boyfriend behind. So Maggie has a plan: to be the biggest loser so that no one will want to be friends with her. This way, when she leaves in a few months, it won't be hard. Sounds More...

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Feb 21, 2011

Eman rated it:

The ones who we think are weird are the people who are real.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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