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Nobodies and Somebodies
Laura must choose between her new friend Janet and membership in a secret girls' club run by the three most popular girls in the class
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Doris Orgel
71 books10 followersDoris Orgel is a children's writer. She was born in Vienna, Austria. As a child, she and her family fled to Yugoslavia and finally the U.S. during the rise of the Nazi party in Europe. She attended Radcliffe College from 1946 too 1948, and graduated cum laude from Barnard College in 1950.
In her career, Ms. Orgel has written and translated several fairy and folk tales, as well as served as a translator for other authors. Prior to her work as a children's writer, Orgel was in magazine and book publishing. Her first original book, Sarah’s Room (1963) was published under the pseudonym Doris Adelberg. It was also republished in England and in Switzerland in German. In 1960, Ms. Orgel received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for her translation of Willhelm Hauff's Dwarf Long-Nose (1960). Her book The Devil in Vienna (1978) received a Phoenix Award Honor in 1998. Ms. Orgel has also worked as a children’s book reviewer for "The New York Times".
She is married to Dr. Shelley Orgel; has three children: Paul, Laura, and Jeremy; two daughters-in-law: Sharon Lamb and Ling Chen Orgel; three grandchildren: Willy, Jennifer, and Julian; and three granddogs: Woof, Buster, and Otto. She lives in New York City.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/doris-orgel
In her career, Ms. Orgel has written and translated several fairy and folk tales, as well as served as a translator for other authors. Prior to her work as a children's writer, Orgel was in magazine and book publishing. Her first original book, Sarah’s Room (1963) was published under the pseudonym Doris Adelberg. It was also republished in England and in Switzerland in German. In 1960, Ms. Orgel received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for her translation of Willhelm Hauff's Dwarf Long-Nose (1960). Her book The Devil in Vienna (1978) received a Phoenix Award Honor in 1998. Ms. Orgel has also worked as a children’s book reviewer for "The New York Times".
She is married to Dr. Shelley Orgel; has three children: Paul, Laura, and Jeremy; two daughters-in-law: Sharon Lamb and Ling Chen Orgel; three grandchildren: Willy, Jennifer, and Julian; and three granddogs: Woof, Buster, and Otto. She lives in New York City.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/doris-orgel
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 21, 2008
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a book you loved ten years ago when all you remember about it is that it was about a group of girls who wore dolphin earrings? It tooks me two hours. Thanks, Google Book Search!
December 19, 2016
Nobodies and Somebodies is a book I discovered during the time in my elementary school life when kids first started dividing themselves into popular and unpopular groups. I don’t remember if I read it during fifth or sixth grade, but I do remember reading it many times over, as though it might give me some clues as to how to deal with my own preteen problems. Before re-reading it for the first time as an adult, I took the time to make some notes about what I remembered, to see how they compared to the actual story. According to my memory, this was a book about an unpopular girl who gets sucked into the popular crowd and forced to their bidding. I knew the popular group had more than one person in it, but the only name that stood out was Vero, whose name comes from Vero Beach. I remembered that the girls on the cover looked “cool” to me in the early nineties, and I knew both dolphins and earrings played a role in the story, but I wasn’t sure how. I was also convinced that Vero was a disturbing character because I could distinctly remember feeling uncomfortable reading her chapters.
Upon reading the story, I was able to fill in the gaps. The book is actually told in alternating chapters from the points of view of three different girls: Laura, Janet, and Vero. In different ways, each of the three narrators vies for the friendship of the popular girls in their class, Beth and Liz. Though each girl’s relationship to Beth and Liz is somewhat different, all three of them are given tasks to prove their loyalty, and all three are treated badly by the two popular girls in some way. The events related in each chapter explain not only the girls’ desire to be accepted, but also other problems in their lives, including Vero’s absent dad.
Reading the book also jarred some more memories. I remembered that this book is the reason I first learned that “kelly green” was a color and that a Saab was a car. For years after reading the book, I associated both of those things with the height of cool. All the passages about the girls playing jacks felt really familiar, and I was impressed by how many of the details felt like they were pulled from my own fifth grade classroom (such as girls sitting on the windowsill), and my own life at age ten (like Kid Cuisine!) I was also surprised by the things I never caught during my repeated childhood readings, such as the fact that neither Laura, nor Janet, nor Vero was ever truly part of the popular group. Perhaps that is why I read it so many times - I wanted to learn how to be popular, and I just never quite got what I needed to know from this story.
Revisiting this book was something of a bittersweet experience. It makes me sad that my twelve-year-old self sat up late poring over a book that would help me fit in, but it makes me happy at the same time that such a book provided a crutch and a friend during a lonely time period in my childhood. It turned out that I didn’t dislike Vero at all, and in fact felt sorry for her, but I think, as the unhappiest character for much of the story, she might have bothered me at the time when I was reading the book. I also had no recollection at all of the ending, but I am surprised that a 1991 reviewer for School Library Journal wrote that “the unhappiness caused by cliques deserves a more serious treatment and a less contrived conclusion.” I am usually the first one to criticize a book that doesn’t handle the issues of cliques and bullying effectively, and I don’t have that problem with this book at all. I doubt it would speak to girls today in the same way it spoke to me back then, but I agree with the Kirkus reviewer who writes, “Orgel [...] raises this above formula with her carefully selected incidents and perceptive characterizations. The alternated narrations of Laura, Janet, and Vero reveal that there are no villains here, just normal children--some with loving families and others who have effectively been neglected, some with new situations to contend with but all both fallible and trying to do the best they can. Easily read, but not simplistic; a satisfying, carefully crafted story.” (Both reviews can be read at Amazon.com.)
Upon reading the story, I was able to fill in the gaps. The book is actually told in alternating chapters from the points of view of three different girls: Laura, Janet, and Vero. In different ways, each of the three narrators vies for the friendship of the popular girls in their class, Beth and Liz. Though each girl’s relationship to Beth and Liz is somewhat different, all three of them are given tasks to prove their loyalty, and all three are treated badly by the two popular girls in some way. The events related in each chapter explain not only the girls’ desire to be accepted, but also other problems in their lives, including Vero’s absent dad.
Reading the book also jarred some more memories. I remembered that this book is the reason I first learned that “kelly green” was a color and that a Saab was a car. For years after reading the book, I associated both of those things with the height of cool. All the passages about the girls playing jacks felt really familiar, and I was impressed by how many of the details felt like they were pulled from my own fifth grade classroom (such as girls sitting on the windowsill), and my own life at age ten (like Kid Cuisine!) I was also surprised by the things I never caught during my repeated childhood readings, such as the fact that neither Laura, nor Janet, nor Vero was ever truly part of the popular group. Perhaps that is why I read it so many times - I wanted to learn how to be popular, and I just never quite got what I needed to know from this story.
Revisiting this book was something of a bittersweet experience. It makes me sad that my twelve-year-old self sat up late poring over a book that would help me fit in, but it makes me happy at the same time that such a book provided a crutch and a friend during a lonely time period in my childhood. It turned out that I didn’t dislike Vero at all, and in fact felt sorry for her, but I think, as the unhappiest character for much of the story, she might have bothered me at the time when I was reading the book. I also had no recollection at all of the ending, but I am surprised that a 1991 reviewer for School Library Journal wrote that “the unhappiness caused by cliques deserves a more serious treatment and a less contrived conclusion.” I am usually the first one to criticize a book that doesn’t handle the issues of cliques and bullying effectively, and I don’t have that problem with this book at all. I doubt it would speak to girls today in the same way it spoke to me back then, but I agree with the Kirkus reviewer who writes, “Orgel [...] raises this above formula with her carefully selected incidents and perceptive characterizations. The alternated narrations of Laura, Janet, and Vero reveal that there are no villains here, just normal children--some with loving families and others who have effectively been neglected, some with new situations to contend with but all both fallible and trying to do the best they can. Easily read, but not simplistic; a satisfying, carefully crafted story.” (Both reviews can be read at Amazon.com.)
January 31, 2022
*Love* the concept of hearing from different points of view. As a young girl, I might have liked this quite a bit. Unfortunately, I was never able to quite connect with any of the characters. And the 'meanest' characters never got a chance to tell their stories. The story was all about the themes, not about fun, not about adventure, not quite a real story. Challenges were presented, and overcome... tyvm.
I do recommend it to every writer who has clubs, cliques, or 'mean girls' in their story. Every kid is unique and has his or her own dreams, fears, and challenges.
I guess that I'm saying that I do actually recommend it to anyone interested, but it's not quite as amazing as the high community rating implies.
I do recommend it to every writer who has clubs, cliques, or 'mean girls' in their story. Every kid is unique and has his or her own dreams, fears, and challenges.
I guess that I'm saying that I do actually recommend it to anyone interested, but it's not quite as amazing as the high community rating implies.
November 14, 2018
Don't usually count re-reads, but considering I read it in elementary school and have spent the past 10 odd years trying to find it based on snippets I remembered...this time it'll count.
Book held up incredibly well, I'm glad to say! There's something very realistic about the cadence of how the characters speak that is lacking in other books about younger children--that a halting yet straightforward manner in which kids say things.
Book held up incredibly well, I'm glad to say! There's something very realistic about the cadence of how the characters speak that is lacking in other books about younger children--that a halting yet straightforward manner in which kids say things.
July 14, 2008
Everyone wants to be in the club with the popular girls, but when the others make their own club, a battle begins. I like that this book is told from the point of view of different girls each chapter. It gave us a lot to talk about. In the end, the children agree that clubs are often made to keep children out, rather than bring them together.
October 17, 2008
One of my favorite middle school books ever! I'm so glad to have finally found it!!!
October 24, 2008
This book is mainly about how people really create clubs to keep others out. Soooooooo one of my fav books!!!!
October 29, 2009
My dad brought this home for me in 5th grade when my friends started getting into the "popularity" game.
April 30, 2011
One of my favorite middle school books! I remember thinking "Vero" was such a great name:)
April 9, 2022
This is just as good as I remember from reading it when it was first published. A painfully accurate depiction of the way tween girls treat each other, I found it so upsetting at the time that I recalled the ending as being harsher. I had to get this one through Interlibrary Loan from another state (ILL is the best!) because it's not easy to come by at this point. The cover is distinctly early 90s, but the book itself has aged better than I expected it would.
October 30, 2017
Quick read about getting along with others.
June 26, 2022
Still love this book years later
March 12, 2026
Revisiting a pleasant childhood book!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews