Uprooted by his parents, 11-year old Hugo is struggling to fit in at his new middle school. Extra small for his age, Hugo has always been the brunt of jokes. He lives in the shadow of his cool cousin Vijay, a natural leader and admired by their classmates. What can Hugo possibly do to win the respect of others? Then, Hugo shows his unusual talent for “garbology” — he can tell a lot about a person by the trash they throw away. Almost instantly, Hugo is in demand to help students get the girl, make the team, or get in good with a teacher. Trouble at home brews just as Hugo is at the pique of his popularity. Written with humor and preteen angst, this book is probably best suited for upper elementary students.
Tag Archives: popularity
The Popularity Code by Stephanie Faris
The pitfalls of social media come alive in this middle school novel, timely and important while not feeling “preachy” to the reader. When a website called SlamBook is popularized at Faith’s school, Faith is interested in what begins as nice comments to one another. But this is middle school, and the platform soon turns to cyberbullying. The target: popular kids. All changes for Faith when she becomes a victim of conversation when people are talking about the comments that she is leaving. As happens with Digital Courage, students, including Faith, find that it’s easy to be mean when you’re hiding behind a screen of anonymity.
While this book was hard for me to read as an adult, full of middle school drama, students will find it relatable and telling where social media can take some dangerous turns.
