Stop! You Must Hop On…. Populazzi by Elise Allen!

Sorry, we’re a Dr. Seuss family and well, it just worked. Would you could you on a blog? Would you could you in the fog? If that’s someone  asking you to learn about, buy and DEVOUR Populazzi then the answer is YES!

Congrats to Deb Elise on the launch of her YA/MAA (Hey, I loved the book and I’m a middle aged adult, so I think the genre is perfectly legit) book called Populazzi. From The Elise Allen Populazzi website:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you had the chance to erase your past and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be?  Would you grab it?  Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences?

Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of  those girls: confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say.  One of the Populazzi.

It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance.

When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the help of The Ladder.  Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower, she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in school.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted.  And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.
I read Populazzi and really enjoyed it, all while thanking the good Lord above I am not in high school circa 2011. And I thought not having hair that would feather like Farrah Fawcett’s was a big problem? Cara and her schoolmates face far bigger and more important (and socially relevant) hurdles than I imagined as a teen.  Deb Elise tackles popularity with perfection. And she also makes  the reader think about the ramifications of divorce, blended families, parental love and acceptance, bullying among peers, drug use, the true meaning of love both amorous and platonic and so much more. Her setting in suburban Philly rings (Liberty bell joke!) true because Deb Elise hails from the city of brotherly love.  As a plus? Anytime you can weave TastyKakes into a story, I’m with you!


So congrats to Deb Elise. Buy the book in your favorite format as soon as you can.

8 Replies to “Stop! You Must Hop On…. Populazzi by Elise Allen!”

  1. I was wondering how you all get published. I am new to the dance and can’t seem to get a clear idea aobut it. Some say to publish with a publishing firm and others say self publish and others say print on dememnd. My onw son also has a YA book that is very good and we just can’t understand how to get it in print and distributed. Could any of you give me some solid direction about this.

    This is my first visit here but I well be returning often after this I had no idea!! How fun, and I will be spreading the word. 😉

  2. And Popularotzzi sounds like soemthing I would like to read. I have wonderd how those girls got to that place in highschool although my HS reunion is at 40 years this year. while we may not have had the same thigs to deal with in shcool it was my generation that seemed to get the ball rolling on many of the issues kids deal with as the norm at school and in life. I will pick up a copy and let you know what I think.. Being in college with job and a family takes up most of my reading time. Thanks for doing the Ball though it is great!

  3. Ah! I forgot to mention the Philly connection! I lived there for years and it was so fun to see places I’ve been mentioned.

  4. There are TastyKakes involved in the story? I am so THERE.

    Okay, okay…I was going to read it anyway. But, seriously, if it hadn’t already been occupying a prominent spot in my TBR pile, the TastyKakes would have nailed it.

  5. Linda G., Eleanor, Kim, I just ordered a MASSIVE box of assorted Tastykakes to have at my launch festivus August 6th. If you happen to be in L.A. then, I guarantee nobody bakes a cake as tasty!

    Kim, thank you for the wonderful post! I’m with you — MAA is totally legit! It also works for EA, elderly adults, like my 91-year-old grandmother!

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