Praise for True to Your Selfie:
"A quick, entertaining read for fans of frenemy fiction." Kirkus Reviews
"This current and relatable novel will resonate with middle school readers, especially those who have felt the pressure to create a perfect social media presence." School Library Journal
"McCafferty effectively captures tween speak and the allure of social media while exposing its inauthenticity." Publishers Weekly
Praise forMegan McCafferty:
"Such a sharp, funny, poignant heroine, with an inner world we can all relate to. I love it." Sophie Kinsella, author of the New York Times bestselling Shopaholic series
"Megan McCafferty rocks! Her sharp wit and keen satirical eye make her books automatic must-reads." Meg Cabot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series
"Jessica is a captivating, intelligent, acidly funny-but always believably adolescent-narrator who is unsparing in her sketches of Pineville High 'society' yet touchingly alive to her own vulnerabilities. Though the happy ending seems targeted to a YA crowd, adults will also enjoy Jessica's winning observations." Publishers Weekly
"Judy Blume meets Dorothy Parker." Wall Street Journal
"McCafferty looks at travails with humor as well as heart." People
Praise forSloppy Firsts:
An ALA Top 10 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
An ALA Popular Paperback
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Praise for Second Helpings:
Selected for the NYPL list
A Booklist Editor's Pick for a Best Novel of 2003
01/01/2020
Gr 5–8–Ella and Morgan are not your average 12-year-olds from New Jersey. They have fans and thousands of followers for their social media posts. Morgan, aka Girl Boss, has high hopes for the duo. She makes sure Ella is always ready for the public eye by sending her Morning Must-Dos, paying for makeovers, and choreographing the perfect selfie pose. As the quirky Goofball Goddess, Ella knows how important she is to their brand's success and how lucky she is that the wealthy and influential Morgan has chosen her as a partner. She's committed to their duo, especially if it means following in the footsteps of her idol Riley Quick. This loyalty causes Ella to turn a blind eye to Morgan's bullying and to overlook the fact that she can never be more popular than Morgan without facing backlash. Ella may keep quiet when Morgan picks on her former best friend Sophie, but it's Sophie's voice in her head that continues to remind her of the person she can be without Morgan's influence. Ella has to decide if social media popularity and potential national fame is worth the sacrifice. VERDICT This current and relatable novel will resonate with middle school readers, especially those who have felt the pressure to create a perfect social media presence. A fine purchase for middle school collections needing more contemporary fiction around complicated friendships.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ
2019-10-13
Mean Girls goes to a New Jersey middle school in the social media age.
Life is perfect as Ella Jane Plaza enters seventh grade. She and her best friend, Morgan Middleton, are the local internet sensation #Morgan&Ella. With more than 10,000 followers on all the best "socials," the duo are on their way to "global multiplatform domination." Maintaining her image as the ukulele-playing "Goofball Goddess" sidekick to Morgan's "Girlboss Goddess Next Door" isn't easy, but as long as Ella does exactly as privileged, spoiled Morgan says, everything is harmonious. When Ella, who's never been particularly good at anything except being epically unorganized, discovers she has a natural aptitude for fencing, she has to hide it from Morgan. Such a "terminally uncute" sport is bad for their brand and will make #Morgan&Ella (but mostly Morgan) look bad. Eventually, Ella, who narrates with sincerity and uncertainty, must decide whether or not to continue being untrue to herself in order to maintain her popularity. Ella knows Morgan is manipulative and cruel (particularly to Ella's nerdy former best friend) but rationalizes Morgan's unkind words and actions as acts of charity and wisdom. Notably, Morgan's meanness isn't explained away as a result of neglectful high-power parents. Olive-skinned Ella is of Mediterranean descent, and Morgan is white; their community is also largely white.
A quick, entertaining read for fans of frenemy fiction. (Fiction. 8-13)