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Fabulous Five #3
The Popularity Trap
Christie Winchell is nominated for seventh-grade president, and rather than disappoint her friends and family, she stays in the race despite her apprehension about what will happen if she wins.
- GenresChildrensYoung Adult
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Haynes
122 books109 followersABOUT ME
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
Maybe it's because my feisty grandma chased tarantulas around with a broom when we lived on an oil lease property when I was a baby that made me love danger and adventure. And maybe it was my father's spending nights as a trombonist with the bands of his day and his days spent drawing sketches that sparked my artistic side. Do you suppose that because my mother stood only four feet ten inches tall that I feel like a giant at five feet? And I'm sure my FBI (Full Blooded Italian) step-father, his seven brothers and sisters and their families are responsible for my LOVE of Italian food. That's who I am. Who are you?
My First Book, Peppy The Frog That I Wrote In The 2nd Grade
I'll always be a child at heart. Whenever I close my eyes, wonderful, funny, awful, embarrassing memories of middle school/junior high come flooding back to fill the pages of my contemporary novels. My childhood friendships and rivalries with old enemies all find their way into my books. I've even spied on my own kids for story ideas.
Unlike most kids who can't wait to grow up, I've gotten younger--at least my stories have. I've stepped into the world of 7 to 10 year olds.
I and my husband, Jim, live in Texas on Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. We are owned by our greyhound, Miller. Our favorite things to do are traveling the world and boating.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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July 29, 2020 As a kid every Saturday we went to Kmart, and every Saturday my mom would let me buy one thing, and it was ALWAYS a fabulous five book. (The cover looks like a spiral notebook cover... I thought that was very clever)
I also managed to track down all the Taffy Sinclair books at a thrift store.
I wonder if this series is still at my parents I would definitely read them again.
I remember in the Taffy books Melanie was chubby and it make references to her eating brownies and then one day she was like NO i don't want the brownie... and then she got skinny.
This is a very vague memory... so don't quote me on this one, what you CAN quote me on is that Taffy had a crooked bicuspid, and Jana ate cream cheese and jam sandwiches,... which I tried because of her and they were DIS-GUS-TING, and I never trusted her again.
I also managed to track down all the Taffy Sinclair books at a thrift store.
I wonder if this series is still at my parents I would definitely read them again.
I remember in the Taffy books Melanie was chubby and it make references to her eating brownies and then one day she was like NO i don't want the brownie... and then she got skinny.
This is a very vague memory... so don't quote me on this one, what you CAN quote me on is that Taffy had a crooked bicuspid, and Jana ate cream cheese and jam sandwiches,... which I tried because of her and they were DIS-GUS-TING, and I never trusted her again.
March 10, 2021
What toxic messages we were absorbing growing up in the 80s — here it’s that girl-on-girl hate is inevitable and right and that no one is interested in feminism if it’s going to make a cute BOY! uncomfortable. Also, we have some bonus racism thrown in with the awful Jana and her gross “Indian costume” idea.
April 22, 2018
The Popularity Trap
PLOT: The Fabulous Five decide they want Christie to run as president so they'll get the jump against their rival clique whose member Tammy is running. They think using Christie's connections with the principal will give her an in with the students. But the thing is Christie really isn't interested but doesn't want to betray her friends. Christie is also pressured into tutoring a student named John Smith by the principal. John just so happens to be the guy she's had her eyes on. But when she starts to tutor him he's not at all what she expected. He warms to her when he finds out she's not using him to get close to his parents and together they work out a way to keep Christie from winning by slipping a mystery candidate into the race. Now they just have to find the mystery candidate.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Handing out oranges is a LAME campaign strategy. And so is the slogan Vitamin C for Christie by the way. Could she not have used C for like Candy and said voting for her would be a treat? Hey it's just as corny but… Which would you rather get?
*And I don't know what she feels guilty about letting her friends down for and not running. Because uh yeah they considered your feelings so much when they signed you up without even telling you. I'd return the favor and drop out without telling them.
*What Shane did with Igor was CUTE! I'd vote for him!
RATING: 3 Up until the mystery candidate idea this book was boring! I actually was hoping Igor won! I remembered the thing about the oranges and I thought that has got to be the most snooze-worthy campaign strategy I ever heard. Oranges? Comparing her to Vitamin C? And the Fabulous Five couldn't come up with anything better than that? Melissa slogan was as equally as lack-luster as Christie's. I expected more from the most popular cliques at WJH. Even the cheer and the announcement at Bumpers was just so-so. I liked how she got even tho on the 5 and went behind their backs and sabotaged her own campaign. I used to be like Christie tho and just like her, I learned trying to please people all the time in the end definitely isn't a good thing! And you will get burnt out QUICKY! So it's best just so speak your mind. It's a good message, but the plot was just plain dull.
PLOT: The Fabulous Five decide they want Christie to run as president so they'll get the jump against their rival clique whose member Tammy is running. They think using Christie's connections with the principal will give her an in with the students. But the thing is Christie really isn't interested but doesn't want to betray her friends. Christie is also pressured into tutoring a student named John Smith by the principal. John just so happens to be the guy she's had her eyes on. But when she starts to tutor him he's not at all what she expected. He warms to her when he finds out she's not using him to get close to his parents and together they work out a way to keep Christie from winning by slipping a mystery candidate into the race. Now they just have to find the mystery candidate.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Handing out oranges is a LAME campaign strategy. And so is the slogan Vitamin C for Christie by the way. Could she not have used C for like Candy and said voting for her would be a treat? Hey it's just as corny but… Which would you rather get?
*And I don't know what she feels guilty about letting her friends down for and not running. Because uh yeah they considered your feelings so much when they signed you up without even telling you. I'd return the favor and drop out without telling them.
*What Shane did with Igor was CUTE! I'd vote for him!
RATING: 3 Up until the mystery candidate idea this book was boring! I actually was hoping Igor won! I remembered the thing about the oranges and I thought that has got to be the most snooze-worthy campaign strategy I ever heard. Oranges? Comparing her to Vitamin C? And the Fabulous Five couldn't come up with anything better than that? Melissa slogan was as equally as lack-luster as Christie's. I expected more from the most popular cliques at WJH. Even the cheer and the announcement at Bumpers was just so-so. I liked how she got even tho on the 5 and went behind their backs and sabotaged her own campaign. I used to be like Christie tho and just like her, I learned trying to please people all the time in the end definitely isn't a good thing! And you will get burnt out QUICKY! So it's best just so speak your mind. It's a good message, but the plot was just plain dull.
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March 29, 2015I read several Fabulous Fives growing up - they didn't stand out as too interesting and were a little over-dramatic, but they worked for my age group at the time. I liked the clique and the girls involved as they went through different situations at home, school, and together.
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