What do you think?
Rate this book
Popular Vote
Just in time for the Fall 2008 presidential election comes this fun, sassy story of politics, romance, girl empowerment, and what it means to be "popular."
Erin Bright is pretty, polished, and popular--the perfect First Daughter. Her father is the mayor of their town, so photo shoots and Inauguration balls are a part of her life. In high school, Erin is politically involved as well; her handsome boyfriend has been student council president for the past two years. But THIS election season, things change. When Erin suddenly gets passionate about an environmental cause, she decides to run AGAINST her boyfriend...and to challenge what her dad stands for! Can Erin convince her friends, and herself, that she has what it takes to lead?
Erin Bright is pretty, polished, and popular--the perfect First Daughter. Her father is the mayor of their town, so photo shoots and Inauguration balls are a part of her life. In high school, Erin is politically involved as well; her handsome boyfriend has been student council president for the past two years. But THIS election season, things change. When Erin suddenly gets passionate about an environmental cause, she decides to run AGAINST her boyfriend...and to challenge what her dad stands for! Can Erin convince her friends, and herself, that she has what it takes to lead?
- GenresYoung AdultContemporary
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
About the author
Micol Ostow
77 books396 followersMicol Ostow has been writing professionally since 2004, and in that time has written and/or ghostwritten over 40 published works for young readers. She started her reign of terror with Egmont with her novel FAMILY, which Elizabeth Burns named a favorite of 2012 on her School Library Journal-syndicated blog, A Chair, a Fireplace, a Tea Cozy. Micol's graphic novel, SO PUNK ROCK (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), was named a 2009 Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth Selection, a Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth Selection, and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Her young adult horror novel, AMITY, will release from Egmont in August 2014, and her first chapter book series, LOUISE TRAPEZE, will debut in Spring 2015 from Random House.
She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, alongside her Emmy Award-winning husband, their daughter, and a finicky French bulldog. Visit her at www.micolostow.com.
Her young adult horror novel, AMITY, will release from Egmont in August 2014, and her first chapter book series, LOUISE TRAPEZE, will debut in Spring 2015 from Random House.
She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, alongside her Emmy Award-winning husband, their daughter, and a finicky French bulldog. Visit her at www.micolostow.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 14, 2008
I have so many issues with this book I'm not quite sure where to start.
First, the petty things: I don't usually mention covers, but this one is bad. The girl on the cover (Erin) looks so robotic, and the guy holding her hand (presumably, her boyfriend Logan) appears to be ready to walk off, announcing that he is not being paid enough to stand next to her.
It's a young adult book, aimed at 12 and up. But Ostow felt the need to explain both George Clooney and George W. Bush (and hanging chads, for that matter, but I can work with that). Because they're both such out of nowhere pop culture references? I swear to God, I want to have a little chat with the parents and teachers of any 12 year old who doesn't know who George W. Bush is.
The pop culture references that aren't explained are not ones that will be around for long. Name checking half the cast of High School Musical? Not the best idea.
The important stuff: Erin, the main character, is vapid and boring. Her father is the mayor of Plainsboro, Illinois, and she gives us plenty of description of all the staff and photo shoots and television interviews and eventual Inaugural Balls that come with the position - after introducing us to her hometown as "teensy". She means it more metaphorically (she feels stifled) than literally, but as someone who grew up in a very teensy town, let me tell you: there is no Mayor. There are certainly not any Inaugural Balls.
I hate to say it, but Erin is kind of an idiot. She spends most of the book freaking out about how her (like, super hot) boyfriend doesn't like her any more because she had an opinion that differed from his - and after he blew her off when she tried to talk to him about it in private, she pulled the Hysterical Young Adult Female Character Move of doing something stupid in public. She wants to save Everett Field, a vaguely historical landmark that belongs to the high school, from being sold to a local gas corporation. It was a favorite writing place of Edwina St. Claire, a essayist and local celebrity. Naturally, Erin cares about this field because she wants to be a writer herself some day, but hasn't told a single person in her life about this ambition. (Also, judging by her annoying and unfunny narration of this book and her very teenage deep, introspective, I've had an epiphany blogs featured through out the book, she should probably have kept the ambition to herself.)
She decides the best way to save the field is to run for student council president. Logically. Because the student body president holds such sway over the school board. Which means running against the incumbent, her boyfriend. And, as she finds out several days into this whole thing, after declaring her candidacy, after finally googling the company, they're major supporters of her father's re-election campaign. Drama!
Now, it gets better. The local news wants to have her debate her father (over saving the field vs. ... having this company as a sponser?), and her father agrees. To debate his daughter. On live television. Which would totally happen in real life.
I have a stack of books that I'm planning on donating to the book swap my mom's school does every year - and they always have a shortage of young adult books for the middle schoolers. This will not be going into that pile, because no innocent little middle schooler is going to suffer through it on my watch.
This book makes me want to hit someone.
First, the petty things: I don't usually mention covers, but this one is bad. The girl on the cover (Erin) looks so robotic, and the guy holding her hand (presumably, her boyfriend Logan) appears to be ready to walk off, announcing that he is not being paid enough to stand next to her.
It's a young adult book, aimed at 12 and up. But Ostow felt the need to explain both George Clooney and George W. Bush (and hanging chads, for that matter, but I can work with that). Because they're both such out of nowhere pop culture references? I swear to God, I want to have a little chat with the parents and teachers of any 12 year old who doesn't know who George W. Bush is.
The pop culture references that aren't explained are not ones that will be around for long. Name checking half the cast of High School Musical? Not the best idea.
The important stuff: Erin, the main character, is vapid and boring. Her father is the mayor of Plainsboro, Illinois, and she gives us plenty of description of all the staff and photo shoots and television interviews and eventual Inaugural Balls that come with the position - after introducing us to her hometown as "teensy". She means it more metaphorically (she feels stifled) than literally, but as someone who grew up in a very teensy town, let me tell you: there is no Mayor. There are certainly not any Inaugural Balls.
I hate to say it, but Erin is kind of an idiot. She spends most of the book freaking out about how her (like, super hot) boyfriend doesn't like her any more because she had an opinion that differed from his - and after he blew her off when she tried to talk to him about it in private, she pulled the Hysterical Young Adult Female Character Move of doing something stupid in public. She wants to save Everett Field, a vaguely historical landmark that belongs to the high school, from being sold to a local gas corporation. It was a favorite writing place of Edwina St. Claire, a essayist and local celebrity. Naturally, Erin cares about this field because she wants to be a writer herself some day, but hasn't told a single person in her life about this ambition. (Also, judging by her annoying and unfunny narration of this book and her very teenage deep, introspective, I've had an epiphany blogs featured through out the book, she should probably have kept the ambition to herself.)
She decides the best way to save the field is to run for student council president. Logically. Because the student body president holds such sway over the school board. Which means running against the incumbent, her boyfriend. And, as she finds out several days into this whole thing, after declaring her candidacy, after finally googling the company, they're major supporters of her father's re-election campaign. Drama!
Now, it gets better. The local news wants to have her debate her father (over saving the field vs. ... having this company as a sponser?), and her father agrees. To debate his daughter. On live television. Which would totally happen in real life.
I have a stack of books that I'm planning on donating to the book swap my mom's school does every year - and they always have a shortage of young adult books for the middle schoolers. This will not be going into that pile, because no innocent little middle schooler is going to suffer through it on my watch.
This book makes me want to hit someone.
May 26, 2009
If I had to read about that character doing "jazz hands" one more time, I would personally find a way to Macauley Culkin myself into the pages of the book and strangle her.
June 13, 2012
As I love sharing novels, I passed this one on to my roommate one night when she was looking for something light and relaxing. Her verdict, given at 2:30 AM, declared the book, "Very cute. Theo's an [censored] but that Logan kid's legit. Really cute."
Really, we're eloquent when it isn't the middle of the night.
Here's the rundown: Erin Bright is perfectly content until she learns that the historic field that inspires her writing is about to be sold and developed. The problem? Her boyfriend Logan isn't going to fight it, even though he's clearly going to be StuCo president another year and the company purchasing the field fund is the major contributor to her father's mayoral campaign. Erin decides to go for the position of StuCo prez herself and make a stand for what she believes in despite the fact very few people stand by her.
I admired Erin's tenacity and the way Micol managed to show that Logan wasn't the bad guy even when they were fighting. I did feel a little wary about Erin becoming StuCo prez as her campaign focused on an issue that would actually be somewhat out of her power and she never bothered to learn about the issues she would face. But other than that, I was easily swept along for the ride. At 224 pages, POPULAR VOTE can easily be read in one night. While it is cute and relaxing, Erin is still a heroine girls can look up to. She resists peer and familial pressure and finds creative solutions to her problems.
Really, we're eloquent when it isn't the middle of the night.
Here's the rundown: Erin Bright is perfectly content until she learns that the historic field that inspires her writing is about to be sold and developed. The problem? Her boyfriend Logan isn't going to fight it, even though he's clearly going to be StuCo president another year and the company purchasing the field fund is the major contributor to her father's mayoral campaign. Erin decides to go for the position of StuCo prez herself and make a stand for what she believes in despite the fact very few people stand by her.
I admired Erin's tenacity and the way Micol managed to show that Logan wasn't the bad guy even when they were fighting. I did feel a little wary about Erin becoming StuCo prez as her campaign focused on an issue that would actually be somewhat out of her power and she never bothered to learn about the issues she would face. But other than that, I was easily swept along for the ride. At 224 pages, POPULAR VOTE can easily be read in one night. While it is cute and relaxing, Erin is still a heroine girls can look up to. She resists peer and familial pressure and finds creative solutions to her problems.
March 27, 2009
What I enjoyed most about Popular Vote was the way how life seemed perfect at first but then things change and you find out that life isn't always so perfect.
Erin Bright is the daughter of the mayor. Life for seemed laid out and she seemed to expect everything. Life is pretty much dominated by the males in her life - her father, mayor of town and her boyfriend, president of the student council. She seems to be surrounded by politics and it has always been normal for her to be in the sidelines, supporting her loved ones. This year, however, she finds herself passionate about an environmental cause and ends up running for president herself - against her boyfriend and everyone one that she knows.
At first, Erin Bright seemed like a bubble-head because all she ever did was support her loved ones. She seemed to have no real opinion of herself. I was proven wrong of course when I found that she actually can think for herself and has become passionate about the field behind her school. She is brave and courageous because she stood for what she believed in, even though it went against her father's campaign and her boyfriend's campaign. She has a very strong personality overall. She is also a very good public speaker [one that I will never be ;:] and manages to not only keep her friends but to also have a favorable outcome as well.
If you like a tad bit of romance mixed in with politics, this book is your cup of tea. :)
Erin Bright is the daughter of the mayor. Life for seemed laid out and she seemed to expect everything. Life is pretty much dominated by the males in her life - her father, mayor of town and her boyfriend, president of the student council. She seems to be surrounded by politics and it has always been normal for her to be in the sidelines, supporting her loved ones. This year, however, she finds herself passionate about an environmental cause and ends up running for president herself - against her boyfriend and everyone one that she knows.
At first, Erin Bright seemed like a bubble-head because all she ever did was support her loved ones. She seemed to have no real opinion of herself. I was proven wrong of course when I found that she actually can think for herself and has become passionate about the field behind her school. She is brave and courageous because she stood for what she believed in, even though it went against her father's campaign and her boyfriend's campaign. She has a very strong personality overall. She is also a very good public speaker [one that I will never be ;:] and manages to not only keep her friends but to also have a favorable outcome as well.
If you like a tad bit of romance mixed in with politics, this book is your cup of tea. :)
November 26, 2012
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Erin Bright has always been the good girl. She stays in line and behaves herself.
Her father is the mayor of their town, so she has to always be proper as the First Daughter of Plainsboro. And her boyfriend, Logan, is Student Council president. She's a major force behind Logan's campaign, even though Logan is running unopposed, again. Erin has never wanted the spotlight for herself.
At least until now, she's never wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. But when she learns the news that developers want to plow up historic Everett Field, Erin has had enough. It would have been fine if Logan would have agreed to try to petition the school board to prohibit the sale of the historic field, but he says there's nothing the student body can do.
Erin finds herself an unlikely candidate for student council president. By putting herself on the ballot, Erin may lose her boyfriend, her best friends, and her father's re-election bid, all in one swoop.
Find out what Erin does to try to save her precious Everett Field and become the girl she didn't know she could be.
POPULAR VOTE is a great story about a strong girl who fights for what she believes is right. Erin sticks to her principles and battles for a cause she truly believes in, even in the face of much adversity.
Erin Bright has always been the good girl. She stays in line and behaves herself.
Her father is the mayor of their town, so she has to always be proper as the First Daughter of Plainsboro. And her boyfriend, Logan, is Student Council president. She's a major force behind Logan's campaign, even though Logan is running unopposed, again. Erin has never wanted the spotlight for herself.
At least until now, she's never wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. But when she learns the news that developers want to plow up historic Everett Field, Erin has had enough. It would have been fine if Logan would have agreed to try to petition the school board to prohibit the sale of the historic field, but he says there's nothing the student body can do.
Erin finds herself an unlikely candidate for student council president. By putting herself on the ballot, Erin may lose her boyfriend, her best friends, and her father's re-election bid, all in one swoop.
Find out what Erin does to try to save her precious Everett Field and become the girl she didn't know she could be.
POPULAR VOTE is a great story about a strong girl who fights for what she believes is right. Erin sticks to her principles and battles for a cause she truly believes in, even in the face of much adversity.
June 23, 2011
Popular Vote by Micol Ostow focuses on Erin Bright, daughter of Plainsboro mayor, Caleb Bright.
Erin has been dating Logan for two years and is once again helping him prepare for school president elections. Logan is once again running unopposed...or is he? Logan tells Erin that Everett Field is being sold by the school board to Caswell Corp. to fund an art program at Plainsboro High School. Instead of a beautiful that holds special meaning to Erin and has a historic background, there will be a gas station there. When she expresses her concerns to Logan, he tells her that the school council wouldn’t have a say.
When Logan has to take questions from the school body about his platform, Erin finds herself ranting about trying to save Everett field. This causes friction between Logan and Erin. At first, it seems like as a couple they are ok until Erin blogs about the field. She decides to run against him to help save her beloved field. Will she save Everett Field? Will she win the election? Will her relationship with her friends…and her relationship with Logan?
I liked that Erin ran against her boyfriend, but I didn’t like how her friends treated her because of it. I thought this was an enjoyable book. I especially liked reading her blog and seeing how the comments reflected her current situations and problems.
Erin has been dating Logan for two years and is once again helping him prepare for school president elections. Logan is once again running unopposed...or is he? Logan tells Erin that Everett Field is being sold by the school board to Caswell Corp. to fund an art program at Plainsboro High School. Instead of a beautiful that holds special meaning to Erin and has a historic background, there will be a gas station there. When she expresses her concerns to Logan, he tells her that the school council wouldn’t have a say.
When Logan has to take questions from the school body about his platform, Erin finds herself ranting about trying to save Everett field. This causes friction between Logan and Erin. At first, it seems like as a couple they are ok until Erin blogs about the field. She decides to run against him to help save her beloved field. Will she save Everett Field? Will she win the election? Will her relationship with her friends…and her relationship with Logan?
I liked that Erin ran against her boyfriend, but I didn’t like how her friends treated her because of it. I thought this was an enjoyable book. I especially liked reading her blog and seeing how the comments reflected her current situations and problems.
November 23, 2013
I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but I always love books where the main character rebels against who they raised up to be. In this case, Erin is the perfect First Daughter to her father and First Girlfriend to her student council president boyfriend. But now she's breaking out and finding out who she really is, and breaking all the rules that she was raised to follow. It's a great journey to read about, and readers will root for Erin's success. Ostow does a wonderful job writing Erin's voice and really infuses it with such emotion that it should inspire anyone who reads the book to stand up for what they believe in, no matter what it is. Definitely recommended!
Read
October 20, 2010Popular vote by Micol Ostow is a book about a girl running against her boyfriend for school president. Her father is also running for mayor in their town. She is trying to save a field when she finds out the people who are going to buy the field are the people who are sponcering her father. Thats when her whole family gets into the mess of the politics. Her mom and dad become conserned and don't know if ther running for president is good for her fathers campain.
January 28, 2011
This book was pretty good. Erin was popular but also the daughter of the mayor, which makes me think that she was like a small town celebrity. I wasn't surprised at all when she ran against her boyfriend for the school elections. I mean i could really see that Erin was really passionate about the field.
September 11, 2013
I thought this book was great because I learned a lot from this book about how voting works at school and was thinking that this also works in the real world. Like voting for a new president or mayor. I would recommend this book to any student only because they either want to make their school better, or if they love learning about being president.
Read
October 6, 2010After finishing Popular Vote i thought it was really well written and an amazing story. It really gae you the chance to go through the feelings the character's were and you were able to feel like you knew the characters. I recommend this book to everyone who wants an easy read with a great outline
April 25, 2013
I'm really into to teen fiction, and I really enjoyed this one. Erin goes from being the dutiful daughter and girlfriend and finds her own voice and that rocks. Highly recommend to all my fellow feminists.
July 29, 2013
Honestly I didn't understand this book at all. The language wasn't universal like other good books should be, yes there were some funny times, but I didn't comprehend. I really forced myself to keep reading, but I just don't understand. SKIP OVER THIS ONE.
Want to Read
March 27, 2008Released Oct 2008
November 16, 2008
really bad
November 14, 2008
about a girl in a school election against her boyfriend
October 25, 2010
I thought this book okay. It is more for third graders. It lost my interest.
December 4, 2014
Very quick entertaining read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews