When high school sophomore Jessie's long-term best friend transforms herself into a punk and goes after Jessie's would-be boyfriend, Jessie decides to visit "the wild nerd yonder" and seek true friends among classmates who play Dungeons and Dragons.

"Women are perceived as either strong and cold or weak and warm. An award-winning journalist and cohost of PBS's Amanpour and Company examines likability and empowers readers to reject an outdated image of leadership instead of reinventing themselves"--

17-year-old Sam may be the new kid at school, but he's got a sure-fire scheme to fast-track his popularity: he's going to lie his butt off. Claiming to drive a Prosche, date a movie star and have a rock star for a dad, Sam soon finds himself loved by everyone. But when Sam's outlandish fictions mysteriously turn into outrageous facts, he begins to discover that having all your dreams come true can turn into a total nightmare.

Fourteen-year-old Ricki Jo, a Kentucky farm girl, learns that popularity is not all she hoped it would be when the huge changes she makes in her personality and style seem to do more to drive away old friends than to win new ones.

An accident at school brings quiet, imaginative Leo to the attention of the popular crowd but their expectations have him misbehaving and cause him to lose his best friend, George, so when a neighbor's dog is trapped by a meteor strike Leo becomes a real hero in hopes of setting things right.

As seventeen-year-old Celeste seeks a cure for her werewolf-boyfriend, Brandon, Legend's Run's highly-anticipated Moonlight Ball is approaching, and Celeste must decide if she is willing to risk attending with Brandon and possibly revealing his secret to the entire school when the moon appears.

Caterina is desperate to gain back the popularity she once held at Rosetta's Academy, while Rahul, desperate for a chance with Caterina, discovers hair gel that turns him into suave RC, Caterina's dream boy.

"My dear, sweet child. Go ahead. Don't be afraid?." Eleven-year-old Shelly Anderson just wants to be popular. Her parents have split and she has to start over at a new school with different classes, a brand new swim team and an unfamiliar social scene. So what if she just wants the cool kids to like her? Is that really too much to ask? So when Shelly finds a mysterious nautilus shell that summons the infamous sea witch, Ursula, she jumps at her chance...

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim, the copyeditor for her San Diego high school's newspaper, accidentally submits a piece ripping everyone to shreds and suddenly finds herself the center of unwanted attention--but when the teacher in charge of the paper asks her to write a regular column her troubles really start.