First in the Popularity Papers series, cartoonist Amy Ignatow’s Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang introduces a pair of best friends navigating the world of junior high school. Lydia and Julie are best friends with one to crack the code of popularity. Lydia’s the bold aspiring theater star, stick-fighting enthusiast, and human guinea pig. Julie’s the shy observer and artist, accidental field hockey jock, and faithful recorder. In this notebook they write down their observations and carry out experiments to try to determine what makes the popular girls tick. But somehow, the harder Lydia and Julie try to imitate the popular girls, the farther they get from their goal—and each other. Amy Ignatow understands friendship and the fifth grade, and she knows just how to wring humor out of ordinary and extraordinary moments. The Popularity Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#1) The Long-Distance Dispatch Between Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#2) Words of (Questionable) Wisdom from Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#3) The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#4) The Awesomely Awful Melodies of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#5) Love and Other Fiascos with Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#6) The Less-Than-Hidden Secrets and Final Revelations of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang (#7)

Best friends Julie and Lydia are back in this hilarious sequel to Amy Ignatow's breakout novel! After spending all of fifth grade studying popularity together, Julie and Lydia are finally ready to put their hard-earned lessons to use in junior high. But before they can, tragedy Lydia's mom gets a job in London for six whole months! Before Lydia can say "fancy a cup of tea?" she's thrust into a new school, where she earns a reputation as "the Violent American." Meanwhile Julie's stuck navigating the cliques of American junior high on her own, where she is adopted by a group of troublemaking eighth graders known as the Bichons. The two best friends will have to learn to keep in touch and stand on their own, assisted as always by their trusty notebook. Amy Ignatow's signature sense of humor is on full display in this satisfying sequel.

After spending six months apart in Book Two, best friends Julie and Lydia are reunited at last! Julie has said good-bye to the mean girls, and Lydia is ready to apply her hard-earned friendship lessons to founding their own crew. But bad news interrupts their reunion: their friend Sukie’s mother, ill for many years, has passed away. This shakes Lydia and Julie, who reevaluate their goals and decide to focus more on being supportive of the friends they have. Unfortunately, their well-meaning schemes almost immediately start to go awry, and everyone seems to be mad at them for reasons beyond their control. How can they be better friends when no one seems to want to give them the chance? As always, Julie and Lydia’s hilarious back-and-forth notes form the backbone of the novel, in which Amy Ignatow reveals all-too-real truths about friendship and loyalty.

It’s summertime, and Julie and Lydia are going on a road trip! After all the ups and downs of their first year in junior high, they’re looking forward to seeing the sights and getting some new perspective on their quest for popularity. Papa Dad and Daddy will provide the transportation, and they’ll provide the entertainment. At first Julie and Lydia use their Powers of Observation to catalog the traditions and oddities of each new location they visit, but soon their attention turns to parents and family and negotiating sensitive family dynamics. By the time the duo hits familiar streets again, they may have to accept some uncomfortable truths, but their journey is infused with the humor, heart, and truthfulness that Amy Ignatow is known for.

Fresh off their epic summer road trip, Lydia and Julie are back and ready to take seventh grade by storm. Well, Lydia She wants to start a band, and she’s convinced Julie to join her. The Macramé Owls are joined by Roland (expert at the hardingfele ) and Jane (expert at drama). None of them, unfortunately, are experts at rocking out. The band needs more practice, but instead Lydia and Julie find themselves riding an unexpected wave of popularity to their own belated birthday party. The girls may have accidentally stumbled upon the secret to popularity―if only the secret weren’t so completely humiliating. Hilarious, observant, and honest, this installment of the series has all of Amy Ignatow’s signature charm, while bringing our beloved heroines to a new turning point in their lives. Praise for The Popularity Book Five "Ignatow’s illustrations (attributed to Julie), humorous comments, and the story’s sticky situations make this a gregarious addition to the series." ― Booklist

Love is in the air! Julie and Roland are an official “couple,” which means . . . well, they’re not exactly sure what, except that it makes Papa Dad extremely anxious. Meanwhile, Lydia’s mom announces that she’s marrying Coach Eric (the soccer coach from England), and Lydia and her sister, Melody, are not happy about it. With the wedding date looming, the girls will have to figure out how to accept the inevitability of change―and that even if the change isn’t what you thought you wanted, it can still end up all right, as long as you have good friends at your side.<!—? prefix = o ns = "" /—> Praise for The Popularity Book Six "Julie and Lydia discover just how rocky the road to romance can be in the sixth installment of Ignatow’s Popularity Papers… fans of the series will be rewarded with plenty of giggle-worthy antics from Julie and Lydia." \— Kirkus Reviews

Lydia and Julie have been through many adventures as they navigated junior high, popularity, families, and friendship. In the final adventure in the series, the peaceful world of Hamlin Junior High is rocked when Lydia and Julie learn that they’re going to have to play host to new students whose school burned down. The outside threat bands the Hamlin kids together against a common enemy—for a while. When the enemy gets their hands on Lydia and Julie’s notebook, no one wants anything to do with the girls. It’s the biggest threat to their friendship (and a pretty definitive failure of their quest for popularity), and it can only be solved one way. Two dance battle .