about the author
My name is Maya van Wagenen. Part Hispanic, I live in Brownsville, Texas, where I am starting eighth grade. I am a gawky, somewhat lumpy, short teen with nonexistent hips and a flat chest. I wear glasses and braces, and am constantly battling zits. My wardrobe comes from WalMart and I spend more time on algebra homework than styling my hair.
Yeah, I’m not Miss Popularity. I’ve always been pretty much invisible in school, but lately some of the girls have been getting mean. I’ve had it with being a social outcast.
I have come up with an experiment that might boost my popularity. Before I was born, my dad found this book at a thrift shop. It was written in the 1950s by a teen model, and dad thought it was a joke. But I am going to follow the advice in Betty Cornell’s Teen-age Popularity Guide and see where it gets me on the social ladder!
The book talks about dating, dieting, hair, makeup, posture, poise, and more. Using Betty’s guidelines, I tackle a chapter a month. Through the year, I’ll take notes on what happens and my classmates’ reactions. At home I’ll write everything down in a day–to-day account, including my thoughts, as accurately as I can. Someday, I hope to be an author.
Well, that was the plan. Let’s just say the experiment doesn’t go exactly as intended.
Wearing 50’s vintage garb does get me noticed, but I end up having some painful, humiliating moments. Although I get to know my classmates better, I’m now not even sure what popularity is.
And to be truthful, I’m questioning Betty’s rule about always wearing a girdle and pearls!
about the author
Imagine publishing your first novel at the age of fifteen. That is exactly what Maya van Wagenen has done.
She and her family were living in Brownsville, Texas, when Maya began her social experiment using Betty Cornell’s 1950’s book as her guide to attain a better social standing. Every day after school, she wrote down in a journal what happened with her classmates, how she felt, and how the experiment was working. At the end of eighth grade, she and her family moved to rural Georgia, and Maya sent out copies of her journal to her extended family.
Impressed by Maya’s story and writing, her uncle sent a copy of her journal to a friend. That friend sent a copy of the journal to a publishing agent. The agent signed Maya immediately. Penguin Books, a major publishing company, jumped on the book, and DreamWorks snapped up the movie rights even before the book’s release date! Maya is currently working on a novel to round out the two-book deal she got with Penguin!
Maya’s biggest supporter may be Betty Cornell, herself! They connected over the phone and then Maya flew out and stayed with Betty and her daughter. Maya says that Betty still lives her book and is beautiful at 87. A neat part to this “vintage wisdom for a modern geek” tale is that Betty’s book has been reissued in conjunction with Maya’s book’s release!
And Maya, well she still adheres to much of Betty’s advice. In her own quirky twist, she pairs her pearls with her jeans, bright pink blazer, and Converse sneakers! Now a sophomore in high school, Maya enjoys reading, watching British television shows, and eating chocolate. Writing at times can be a bit of a challenge for her. She has to share her room with her sixth-grade brother. “Remarkably, they have not yet killed each other!”
Sources:
Author interview: Teen Vogue
Author interview/video: USA Today
Author biography: Amazon
Author video interview
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