Mission (Un)popular — Anna Humphrey

Margot Button has a resolution for 7th grade: Be more normal. Easier said than done when you have

-- no best friend (sent to Catholic school because of your "bad influence")

-- no new clothes (stepdad had a "moral objection" to his job)

-- no eyebrows (tweezer mishap)

-- improvised bangs (see above)

-- a new nickname ("Hamburglar")

-- an unpaid afterschool job (babysitting the triplets -- five days a week)

Well, Rome wasn't built in a day. If Margot could just learn to control her big mouth (and hair), there is hope. The new girl, Em, needs a friend too. Plus she dresses like a rock star, is quick with comebacks, and actually has the guts to stand up to Evil Sarah. Em has an agenda for change at Manning Middle School and wants Margot on her side. Progress!

So, okay, Em has a flexible relationship with the truth, and goes too far with her comebacks. And her secret campaign to turn the tables on Sarah's clique may involve bending some laws. But after years of Sarah's bullying, it's hard for Margot to resist Em's call to action. Margot's approval rating is finally up, and well, it's only fair to take the mean girls down a few notches...isn't it?