Megan McCafferty's Blog, page 7
September 9, 2013
“This book will have readers laughing out loud at Jessica’s high jinks…” Thanks, School Library Journal!
“Told in the hilariously authentic voice of a preteen girl, this book will have readers laughing out loud at Jessica’s high jinks, especially her disastrous stint as the school’s mascot.”–School Library Journal
Full review:
Jessica Darling is about to enter her first year at Pineville Junior High, so her college-age sister gives her a short list of guidelines to ensure her success in the seventh-grade social scene. When she arrives at school, however, Jessica quickly realizes that following the tips will be harder than she expected. Her best friend has had a makeover and attracts the attention of freshmen football players, her new classmates have outlandish and confusing methods for trying to gain popularity, and she has mistakenly been scheduled for Woodshop, which includes a class full of smart-aleck boys led by a ridiculously off-the-wall teacher. As Jessica navigates this strange new world, she inevitably finds herself in situations both amusing and awkward, and she eventually starts to accept the fact that her sister’s methods for surviving junior high might not work for her. Told in the hilariously authentic voice of a preteen girl, this book will have readers laughing out loud at Jessica’s high jinks, especially her disastrous stint as the school’s mascot.–School Library Journal
September 2, 2013
Awesome Authors Celebrate the Return of Jessica Darling!
“My long lost friend Jessica Darling is back! I feel so lucky to have a peek into her middle school years in Megan McCafferty’s sparkly new series. How I’ve missed you so, Jessica Darling!”
–Jenny Han, New York Times bestselling author of the Summer series and Shug
“Jessica Darling won’t really tell you how to be popular; instead she’ll mock and subvert the entire middle-school popularity system while you laugh hysterically. Trust me, you’ll adore her ten different ways.”
– E. Lockhart, author of The Boyfriend List and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
“I first fell in love with Megan McCafferty’s irrepressible and hilarious Jessica Darling in Sloppy Firsts.I’m thrilled to turn back the clock and watch her navigate the highs and lows of seventh grade. I laughed and cheered for her and so will a new generation of readers.”
–Wendy Mass, author of The Candymakers
“If I had to do seventh grade all over again, there’s nobody I’d rather have by my side than Jessica Darling. Funny, winning, and completely relatable, she makes for delightful company as she navigates her way through a new school, and it’s impossible not to root for her through all her misadventures. I’m already excited to find out what the next chapter of her story might bring!”
–Jennifer E. Smith, author of This is What Happy Looks Like, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and The Storm Makers
August 30, 2013
PW Welcomes Back Jessica Darling!
“Not only were books three, four, and five bestsellers, but Jessica and her fictional friends have spawned fan fiction, more than one Jessica Darling-themed Tumblr, and even a tribute video set to Barry Manilow’s “Can’t Smile Without You.”
What gets readers hooked on this character? Ask McCafferty’s editor, Elizabeth Bewley, a longtime fan who has been a Jessica Darling fan since reading Sloppy Firsts not long after it came out. She cited Jessica’s sense of humor and personality quirks; this is a character who says her number one hobby is “thinking about things,” after all. “I also love that she is sort of a salty and sweet character,” Bewley said. “She has her moments where she is not proud of herself for decisions that she’s made. And I think that most of us can relate to that.”
Read the whole article here!
August 8, 2013
Jessica Darling’s IT List is “authentic and funny.” Thanks, PW!
“[R]eaders meeting Jessica for the first time will be charmed by this authentic and funny girl who makes well-tread territory feel as new as a pair of first-day-of-school sneakers.”–Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly / August 5, 2013 / Jessica Darling’s It List
In this breathless prequel to the Jessica Darling series, the self-described “very witty, medium pretty, and a little bit witty” protagonist starts seventh grade. Armed with extremely limited advice from her popular older sister (such as “Wear something different every day”), Jessica interprets these vague rules with some success. She befriends a group of girls determined to be popular and (technically) makes the cheer team, but Jessica doesn’t feel at ease with the course of her new life, especially when she and her suddenly beautiful best friend have a serious fight. Or when making the cheer team means dressing up as the school mascot, Mighty the Seagull. It isn’t difficult to pinpoint the book’s theme (Jessica’s woodshop teacher sings “Whoooooo are you?” when the seventh-grader wears a vintage The Who T-shirt on the first day of class) or predict how Jessica will change and grow. But readers meeting Jessica for the first time will be charmed by this authentic and funny girl who makes well-tread territory feel as new as a pair of first-day-of-school sneakers.
August 6, 2013
Get the First 7 Chapters of the IT List for FREE
August 2, 2013
July 30, 2013
Jessica Darling in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Read about the prequel to SLOPPY FIRSTS in this exclusive Q&A with Entertainment Weekly!
July 10, 2013
“Jessica is a winning heroine.”
From BOOKLIST:
Jessica Darling, who first appeared as a high-schooler in Sloppy Firsts (2001), is back in this prequel series opener that sees her poised for the first day of seventh grade. And is she freaking out about starting Pineville Junior High? Of course. Luckily, or unluckily as it turns out, big sis Bethany provides her with a cheat sheet that’s a “Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness, and Perfection.” These four items (get out your notepads) are as follows: “Wear something different every day”; “Make the CHEER TEAM!!!”; “Pick your first boyfriend wisely”; and “Stick with the IT clique.” This is easier said than done, as Jess becomes the cheer team mascot and finds she is not interested in any boys. On top of all that, her BFF Bridget is suddenly pretty and popular. While this doesn’t break tween ground, Jessica is a winning heroine, and as she stumbles and fumbles (and literally falls flat on her face), readers will laugh alongside her and, yes, cheer as she comes into her authentic self.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The Jessica Darling series was a New York Times best-seller, so the prequels, backed by a solid marketing campaign, should be similarly well received.
June 19, 2013
JESSICA DARLING’S IT LIST: On sale 9/3/13
This is the cover. I LOVE IT.
Introducing the middle grade prequel to SLOPPY FIRSTS.
I hadn’t even gotten to homeroom yet and I’d already discovered five hard truths about junior high:
1. My best friend had turned pretty.
2. She didn’t know it yet.
3. It wouldn’t be long before she did.
4. That knowledge would change everything between us.
5. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
It’s the first day of seventh grade. Is Jessica Darling doomed for dorkdom?
New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty’s hilarious series opener will have you laughing, cringing, and cheering for Jessica Darling as she learns that being herself beats being popular, pretty & perfect any day.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
“My long lost friend Jessica Darling is back! I feel so lucky to have a peek into her middle school years in Megan McCafferty’s sparkly new series. How I’ve miss you so, Jessica Darling!”
–Jenny Han, New York Times bestselling author of the Summer series and Shug
“Jessica Darling won’t really tell you how to be popular; instead she’ll mock and subvert the entire middle-school popularity system while you laugh hysterically. Trust me, you’ll adore her ten different ways.”
– E. Lockhart, author of The Boyfriend List and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
“I first fell in love with Megan McCafferty’s irrepressible and hilarious Jessica Darling in Sloppy Firsts. I’m thrilled to turn back the clock and watch her navigate the highs and lows of seventh grade. I laughed and cheered for her and so will a new generation of readers.”
–Wendy Mass, author of The Candymakers
“If I had to do seventh grade all over again, there’s nobody I’d rather have by my side than Jessica Darling. Funny, winning, and completely relatable, she makes for delightful company as she navigates her way through a new school, and it’s impossible not to root for her through all her misadventures. I’m already excited to find out what the next chapter of her story might bring!”
–Jennifer E. Smith, author of This is What Happy Looks Like, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and The Storm Makers
Jessica Darling’s IT List
“Move over, Dork Diaries! Jessica Darling, star of Megan McCafferty’s bestselling Jessica Darling series for adults, is back in a hilarious new series perfect for tween (10 to 14) girls.”
I hadn’t even gotten to homeroom yet and I’d already discovered five hard truths about junior high:
1. My best friend had turned pretty.
2. She didn’t know it yet.
3. It wouldn’t be long before she did.
4. That knowledge would change everything between us.
5. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
It’s the first day of seventh grade. Is Jessica Darling doomed for dorkdom?
New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty’s hilarious series opener will have you laughing, cringing, and cheering for Jessica Darling as she learns that being herself beats being popular, pretty & perfect any day.
