Customer Reviews

The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular (Amelia Rules! (Reissues))

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Amelia McBride, heroine of Jimmy Gownley's long-running series, is a comic genius. And like most geniuses, she's rarely appreciated for just how clever she is. That's probably why she ends up in so many jams, including her latest one, in which she manages to alienate herself from just about everyone in her school.

That's the premise of The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, the hilarious latest installment. As for just how she manages to lose so many friends en masse, well, Amelia chooses not to reveal that information until well into the book, so I won't ruin it for you here. Suffice to say, everyone in school was angered enough to chase Amelia and her best friend, Rhonda, up a tree, and they don't show much intention of backing down.

Amelia Rules! has always been a fun, easy read with a lot of heart beating beneath its surface. It's got charm to spare and no shortage of good humor (and I hate to sound so old when I say this, but, as much as I really appreciate immature humor, it's so refreshing to see a kids book that is truly funny without having to rely on fart jokes). The sentiment behind it is always a good one too: Doing the right thing is ultimately the goal and the moral.

There's a lot to be said for the easygoing readability of the book too, which while being aimed at 7- to 12-year-olds, includes a lot of intelligent text, both in the comic pages and in the supplementary material (the joke is that the title of this Amelia book comes from a book written by a motivational speaker, and that book is excerpted inside the Amelia book). One minor criticism of the book is that it would have been nice to have a jumping-on point for new readers to get to know some of the secondary characters better. It's a minor point, but Amelia's world is incredibly inviting, and having a sense of who all of her friends (and enemies) are would help.

As the first new Amelia book in two years, this volume should get quickly devoured by the younger set, and with good reason. It's a hoot.
-- John Hogan

"Amelia Rules, v.5: The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular"
Written and Illustrated by Jimmy Gownley
(Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2010)
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This is the fifth volume in the "Amelia Rules" graphic novel series, about a headstrong young girl who lives in a bucolic suburb and plays with her friends, who are into playing "superhero," but maybe a little more into it than most kids would be. Actually, they *used* to be into playing superhero, but now they're growing up and it's something they mostly do as an afterthought. Life in Fifth Grade is getting more complex and the kids -- especially the girls -- have other stuff on their minds.

This volume shows Amelia and her friends grappling with social pressures at school, mainly the pressure to not seem uncool... which is difficult since Amelia's clique are self-defined nerds, and have been for a long, long time. Teased by the cheerleader in-crowd, Amelia and her friends respond in different ways. Reggie, who still likes to dress up and play superhero, doesn't really care, but lanky-limbed, crazy-haired, sarcastic Rhonda, does. She's decided she doesn't want to move into her middleschool years still being an outcast, and makes a determined effort to change her course. She wants to pull her friends along, too, and forces them to read the same insidious, submit-to-peer-pressure self-help book ("The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular") that she's adopted as her road map. Gownley's self-help book parody isn't very subtle, but the decisions that the kids make are pretty interesting, particularly with Rhonda, who manages to successfully change her image and social status at school, and Amelia, who is urged to join her. Meanwhile, Amelia's home life has its ups and downs, and there's more drama with her too-cool aunt Tanner, who's had to move in with Amelia and her mom after the roof of her house collapsed. Various characters and their relationships are subtly modified, and while the series sometimes seems a little static, many of the slower-moving plot elements, with boy trouble and whatnot, do get tied up in the next volume... so stay tuned!) This is still one of the better, more thoughtful kids-level graphic novels out there... quite satisfying and highly readable, and still highly recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

This book spent the first week being read and reread at bed time, dinner time and after school by the tweens in my house. Handled with humor and spot-on insight, Amanda and her friend set out to be popular. Filled with elementary-school characters all of us recognize, Gownley writes a wonderful graphic novel. Using a great hook, he starts in the middle of the story with Amanda and Rhonda experiencing their "worst day ever." The graphic novel is the perfect format and really helps those that are reluctant readers see the fun and enjoyment in reading. This book served that purpose in my house. I admit it even hooked me. Next time you are trying to figure out what book will keep your child interested for a while, I suggest this series!

This book is about a girl named Amelia Louise McBride. Amelia was in this club called A.S.A.P. In that club Amelia met a girl named Rhonda. Amelia wasn`t great friends with Rhonda. At school Amelia was one of those girl who wanted to be popular but that never got accomplished. One day Amelia as in Mr.Henderson`s class they were studying American Revelution then Mr.Henderson wanted to change subjects so he partnered everyone up. Amelia was going to be partners with Steve but then Rhonda scolded "Can I be partners with Amelia" Amelia accepted that request.Amelia thought that was very strange. Rhonda and Amelia put on Rhonda`s sister Reenie`s space costumes. The next day Rhonda was ready to do Amelia`s and her project. Thier project was wonderful and funny thought the teacher. When the bell rang it was time to go to a different class. In the hall was a big crowd around Rhonda and Britney. Britney was telling jokes about Rhonda. "I`m am just trying to be honest"said Britney. Amelia got so annoyed that she told everybody what she thought about them. Amelia and Rhonda were ready to run away from an school angry mob. It came to an end Amelia and Rhonda had to climb a tree. They stood up there till everyone left by the time that happend it was midnight. Amelia and Rhonda went home. When Amelia got home nobody noticed it was past her bedtime they were to busy watching a movie. From that day on Amelia and Rhonda were school`s MOST WANTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular by Jimmy Gownley is the fifth book in the Amelia Rules series. Amelia McBride has settled into her life in upstate New York after the divorce of her parents. She's going into a new year of school with her old friends, Rhonda, Reggie, Pajamaman, and Joan, who recently moved to the area. They've spent the last year dealing with their unpopularity, but Rhonda has discovered the eponymous guidebook that is supposed to help them achieve every tweenage and teenage dream: popularity. The quest has Rhonda acting in more abnormal ways than even she is accustomed to. When Amelia and Rhonda team up on a school project that at first gives them their heart's desire and then goes wrong...very, very wrong, leaving Amelia labeled "bad" by the school principal and wondering who she really is. I have no idea how Gownley manages to write so accurately in the mind of a ten-year-old girl, although I would have loved her dialogue when I was her age. His books are so well-written, filled with brilliant dialogue, as thought-provoking plots that will inspire real thinking in children, and conversations with their parents. He tackles topics often thought too deep for children and handles them with true delicacy and finesse. He gives parents a view into their children's minds, while giving those kids something to laugh about while also learning lessons about life, but he never does it in a pedantic way that would turn off readers. I am unashamedly in love with the Amelia Rules series, as is my seven-year-old daughter. Gownley has created something truly wonderful in this series, and I look forward to following the series for years to come.