Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;The true story of a high school senior whose faked pregnancy rocked her community and made international headlines.andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;It started as a school projectand#8230;but turned into so much more.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsiderand#8217;s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didnand#8217;t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she and#8220;lived downand#8221; to othersandlt;Bandgt;'andlt;/Bandgt; expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gabyand#8217;s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;The Pregnancy Projectandlt;/Iandgt;, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancyand#8212;hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriendand#8217;s parentsand#8212;and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gabyand#8217;s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.
Review
“…Gaby’s story is vividly told with a strong voice and a great story arc that begins with her parents and ends with a call to other teens and adults to stop the cycle of teen pregnancy, motherhood and poverty. THE PREGNANCY PROJECT is not just a good read, but an important one as well.” - BookReporter.com
Review
Praise for
Popular:
“Everyones happiness project looks different, and I was utterly charmed by Maya Van Wagenens honest, funny, and thought-provoking account of her efforts to become ‘popular.” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project
“Maya Van Wagenens memoir, Popular, would have been wonderful to read as a kid, and so reassuring to Nerdy Teenage Me. Her year-long experiment in popularity is timeless; the intelligent and humane way she gets to the heart of the matter is uniquely her. Funny, determined, and wry, Van Wagenen has written a wise, heartfelt guide for other kids eager to keep up.” —Rachel Hartman, bestselling author of Seraphina
"Geeky and dorky, but never wimpy, Maya Van Wagenen is as powerful and honest as she is quirky and funny—and startlingly gifted. Shes the real deal, folks, a teenage John Green for the next generation. Stunning.” —Margaret Stohl, bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series
"An interesting and earnest memoir." —Kirkus Reviews
"While completely appropriate for middle school readers, Popular is even more entertaining for adults. Van Wagenen is a uniquely gifted talent with a gem of a first novel" —VOYA
Review
and#8220;Stokkeand#8217;s openness and honesty that are the chief draw; readers will feel as though they have truly come to know her. (Regineand#8217;s Book is) a rare, valuable window into life with a terminal illness.and#8221; and#8212; Publishers Weekly and#160; and#8220;Regineand#8217;s voice is matter-of-fact and honestand#8230;A heartfelt and visually appealing window into Regineand#8217;s last year.and#8221; and#8212; Kirkus Reviews and#160; "'Face your fear. Accept your war.' Seventeen-year-old Regine began a blog to document and share her experience after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2008. Selections from her posts are occasionally supplemented with comments left by the supportive and adoring followers of her 15-month journey. Her writing is honest and raw, insightful and inspiring. While her moods swing with the course of her treatment and relapses, her outlook remains steadfastly positive throughout all but the most difficult days. The entries include medical details, physical changes, the reactions of family and friends, and Regine's own search for understanding and acceptance of a world-changing diagnosis. Her obsession with rock music and attending concerts saturates the text as it does her short life, and her original poems and artistic photographs add extra dimension to what is sure to be an inspiring read for a new audience for this moving title that was originally published in Regine's Norway." and#8212; Booklist
Synopsis
The real life story of Gaby Rodriguex, the teen who faked her pregnancy as part of a sociological experiment.
Synopsis
The true story of a high school senior whose faked pregnancy rocked her community and made international headlines.
It started as a school project...but turned into so much more.
Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider's perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn't include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she "lived down" to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby's school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.
In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy--hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend's parents--and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby's story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.
Synopsis
When high school senior Gaby faked a pregnancy as a project to challenge stereotypes, she also changed her life. Discover this compelling memoir from an inspirational teenage activist, now a Lifetime movie. It started as a school project, but it turned into so much more.
Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider's perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn't include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she fulfilled others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby's high school senior project: faking her own pregnancy to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever...and made international headlines in the process.
In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy, hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend's parents, and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby's story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.
Synopsis
Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was told more than once that she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother had been a teen mom, and her older sisters had as well. Gaby had ambitions that didn't include becoming a young mother. But she wondered: how she would be perceived if she "lived down" to others expectations about the path her life would take? This question is what sparked Gaby's school project: fake her own pregnancy as a high school senior and see how her friends, family, and community reacts. What she learned changed her life forever. In THE PREGNANCY TEST, Gaby shares her experience growing up in the shadow of low expectations, reveals how she was able to fake her own pregnancy, and reveals all that she learned from the experience.
Synopsis
New York Times Bestseller
A breakout teen author explores the true meaning of popularity and how to survive middle school in this hysterically funny, touchingly honest contemporary memoir.
I was inspired by [Maya's] journey and made a point of saving a copy of Popular for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.” Maude Apatow, New York Times Book Review
Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help a shy girl become popular?
Maya Van Wagenen is about to find out.
Stuck near the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who arent paid to be here,” Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell.
The real-life results are hilarious, painful, and filled with unexpected surprises. Told with humor and grace, Mayas journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence, along with a better understanding of what it means to be popular.
Synopsis
Regine Stokke began to blog about her day-to-day life shortly after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in 2008. Her stated purpose at the time was to give people a sense of what it was like to live with such a serious illness, and her blog became an almost instant classic. She writes openly about the emotional and physical aspects of her 15-month struggle to survive and explains how her disease impacts her life. In the course of her illness, Regine participated in photography exhibits, went to concerts, enjoyed her friends and family, and advocated for registering as a blood and bone marrow donor. She was a typical teenager with an incredible will to live, and the lessons that she learned have relevance for us all. Through her eyes, readers will discover a more vivid world, and a new appreciation for life, art, and the power of the human spirit.
Synopsis
When Emily Lindin was eleven years old, she was branded a andldquo;slutandrdquo; by the rest of her classmates. For the next few years of her life, she was bullied incessantly at school, after school, and online. At the time, Emily didnand#39;t feel comfortable confiding in her parents or in the other adults her my life. But she did keep a diary. Slut/UnSlut is adapted from Emilyandrsquo;s much-acclaimed blog andldquo;The UnSlut Projectandrdquo; presenting unaltered excerpts from that diary alongside split-page commentary to provide context and perspective.
About the Author
Emily Lindin is a Harvard graduate, PhD candidate, and suicide prevention activist living in Southern California. The UnSlut Project was inspired by her own experience. When she was eleven years old, she was branded a andldquo;slutandrdquo; by her classmates and was bullied at school, after school, and online. During all this, she kept a regular diary. The UnSlut Project began when Emily, as an adult, chose to publish her own middle school diaries online in response to learning about the suicides of several teen girls who had experienced similar slut shaming and bullying, and a strong desire to reach out to others who still suffer such abuse. Her diaries have been read by hundreds of thousands of people and have brought much attention to the practice of slut shaming and the harassment of young women. Now, the project has expanded to include the collected stories of many women who suffered slut shaming and sexual bullying, but have overcome it in various ways. In 2015, the project explands to include a book, UnSlut, written by Emily Lindin and published by Zest Books, as well as a documentary film. Emily has appeared on dozens of TV and radio shows including andquot;The Katie Showandquot; with Katie Couric, and was recently named as one of Glamour magazineand#39;s andquot;Heroes of the Week.andquot;