New to her rough, seriously disadvantaged school on the Texas–Mexico border, Maya has quickly worked out the social hierarchy. She is in the ‘Social Outcasts’ group, third from the bottom and superior only to those paid to be there – the teachers and substitute teachers. So, in an impulsive moment, she decides to try an experiment. Is it possible to become popular by using Betty Cornell’s Teen-Age Popularity Guide, a book published in 1951 and picked up in a thrift store by her father, who chuckled over it before promptly forgetting it?

With amazing tenacity and courage, Maya reconstructs herself, buying vintage clothes from the 1950s, embracing Vaseline for shining eyes, adopting a girdle and gloves for special occasions as well as cultivating good grooming and hygiene.

Her learning experience is hilarious; totally kooky, unexpected, and at times profound. What’s more, this clever, funny book is not fiction. Maya is a real 15-year-old schoolgirl, and this whole mad experience is her memoir. Popular is a real ‘one off’ and a deliciously entertaining read for any age.

Kathy Kozlowski