To celebrate the release of Jessica Darling’s It List #2: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Friends, Foes & Faux Friends I have a wonderful back-to-school tip from Megan McCafferty.

The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Friends, Foes & Faux Friends by Megan McCafferty on September 16, 2014
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 Jessica Darling is getting the hang of seventh grade — finally! While her old BFF, Bridget, is busy talking (nonstop) about her new boyfriend, Burke, Jessica tries to fit in with her new friends, Sara, Manda, and Hope. The IT List instructions from her sister, Bethany, and an epic slumber party may help Jessica secure her spot in the cool clique, but does she even want it?

Megan McCafferty’s It List series introduces readers to Jessica Darling, an unabashedly brainy seventh grader who stays true to herself, even if it means being (totally not) cool.

 
Want to know what Megan has to say about going back to school?

Trust me when I say there’s not enough room in this or any blog to thoroughly catalog the myriad ways I was a mess in middle school.  So when I was first asked to offer back-to-school advice, my gut reaction was something like, WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING? I WAS A CATASTROPHE. DON’T TAKE ADVICE FROM ME.

And then I remembered: I have a kid. He just started junior high. And I probably gave him some back-to-school advice because that’s part of my job as a parent, right? At breakfast this morning I asked him.

“What’s the best advice I gave you about starting sixth grade?”

“You didn’t give me any advice.”

“I didn’t?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.”

“I already know to work hard in my classes.”

“Right. Of course.”

“And have fun. Though fun is different now. “

“How so?”

“When you’re a little kid, having fun is your only job. But in middle school you get more responsibilities so you have to find the fun. That’s why I’m gonna run cross country and do choir and drama.”

“Because those activities are fun for you.”

“Well. Yeah. Duh.”

“So work hard and find the fun. That’s it.”

“That’s it.”

That’s it.

Giveaway!

Little, Brown and Megan McCafferty have been kind enough to offer one signed copy of Jessica Darling’s It List 2: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Friends, Foes & Faux Friends to one US resident!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to know more about the first book in the series?

Jessica Darling’s It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection by Megan McCafferty
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Move over, Dork Diaries! Jessica Darling, star of Megan McCafferty’s bestselling Jessica Darling series for adults, is back in a hilarious new series perfect for tween (10 to 14) girls.

I hadn’t even gotten to homeroom yet and I’d already discovered five hard truths about junior high:

1. My best friend had turned pretty.
2. She didn’t know it yet.
3. It wouldn’t be long before she did.
4. That knowledge would change everything between us.
5. And there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

It’s the first day of seventh grade. Is Jessica Darling doomed for dorkdom?

New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty’s hilarious series opener will have you laughing, cringing, and cheering for Jessica Darling as she learns that being herself beats being popular, pretty & perfect any day.

Jessica Darling’s IT List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness and Perfection is the first in a new middle grade series on sale now. Megan McCafferty is also the New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series for teens and adults, Bumped and Thumped. Her work has received honors from the ALA and the NYPL and has been translated into eleven languages, including Chinese, German and Indonesian. Megan is a Princeton University Community Fellow for Mathey College.

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