Miss Popular Steals the Show: Girls in Wheelchairs Rule!

by Jewel Kats, Murray Stenton (Illustrator)

How far will Bix go to be popular?
A delightful and humorous diary account from "Bix," a plain Jane from a struggling family trying to outdo and steal the third-grade classroom stage from Valerie, whose mother is a famous author. Miss Popular may be a wheelchair-user, but she knows how to charm the classroom, and her pink bejeweled wheelchair rules. In a pique of frustration, Bix resorts to lies to steal the limelight from Miss Popular. She also announces that she will be having a puppy shower, and everyone except Miss Popular is invited. Can Bix pull it off?
Readers will: Learn the importance of honesty Discover that being loved and being popular are not the same thing Find out how even a small act of kindness pays big dividends Learn how to rise above circumstances to be a better person

Juvenile Fiction: Social Issues - Special Needs

40 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

Once a teen runaway, Jewel Kats is now a two-time Mom’s Choice Award winner. For six years, Jewel penned a syndicated teen advice column for Scripps Howard News Service (USA) and The Halifax Chronicle Herald. She gained this position through The Young People’s Press. She’s won $20,000 in scholarships from Global Television Network, and women’s book publisher: Harlequin Enterprises. Jewel also interned in the TV studio of Entertainment Tonight Canada. Her books have been featured in Ability Magazine (USA) twice. She’s authored eight books-five are about disabilities. The Museum of disABILITY History celebrated her work with a two-day event. Jewel has appeared as an international magazine cover story four times! Recently, her work was featured in an in-depth article published in “The Toronto Star”. Jewel’s work has also appeared as an evening news segment on WKBW-TV and on the pages of “The Buffalo News”.

Reviews

[Bob]

I received this book as a free First Reads book. My wife and granddaughter read this together and they both enjoyed it. It was a fun book with a good moral.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this would be great for kids that are getting a little better at reading. It has good morals (though I personally think one of the ones it claims to teach is a little bit of a stretch), and I love that Miss Popular is in a wheelchair. It looks kind of girly, though it would actually be good for both boys and girls. I could see it being the start of a very popular series.
Note: I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that "Miss Popular" has a sparkly wheelchair!

[Barbara Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read - Bix's narration was so on the spot!

[Assortedtrashprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate the main character. It feels strange that "miss popular" is a villain when we have so few disabled characters in children's fiction. Feels like jewel didn't write it.

[Melisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept is cute. I like that it’s written in the form of diary entries.I like the inclusion of a handicapped character. The illustrations are great. I just don’t know if there was actually a lesson learned..

[Ms. Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review....

I quickly read through this book, to see how "appropriate" it was for my niece (her mom is very picky about what she reads). I found the book to be amusing, silly, and very cute. It is great for children who feel like an "outcast" or "lesser than" because of certain disabilities or disadvantages. It is a very uplifting and encouraging book that touches topics that, honestly and unfortunately, very few books will reach upon.

I gave this book to my niece and she said that she enjoyed the book as well, that it was easy enough for her to read, and she found it funny.

Thumbs up for this book!