The New Girl

How I Survived Middle School #4

by Nancy E. Krulik

Bestselling author Nancy Krulik delves into the mind of a twelve-year-old who is trying to survive middle school.

Joyce Kilmer Middle School is holding a fundraising carnival, and Jenny and her rival Addie make a bet that each girl will raise more money than the other. The loser will have to wear her pajamas to school! The competition gets even hotter with the arrival of a stylish new girl. Will she join Addie's group, The Pops, or will she help Jenny and her friends? Someone's going to be wearing bunny slipper to school-will it be Jenny?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers. She is best known, however, for being the author and creator of the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book series, which has brought her to the attention of second, third, and fourth graders nationwide.

Nancy has also written extensively for teens and is well known as a biographer of Hollywood's hottest young stars. Her knowledge of the details of celebrities lives has made her a desired guest on several entertainment shows on the E! network as well as on Extra and Access Hollywood. She can be seen there talking about the secret lives of such celebs as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Frankie Muniz. Nancy has also been a guest on radio broadcasts nationwide discussing the superstars she has researched over the years.

As the author of several teen and preteen advice books, including Grosset and Dunlap's Prom!: The Complete Guide to a Truly Spectacular Night, Nancy has been interviewed by several prominent magazines including Cosmo Girl, Teen, Teen People, Seventeen, and Teen Celebrity. She has also been the celebrity guest for three Teen People chat presentations. Nancy has recently begun to delve into the teen novel market, writing four romances for young adults, all of which will be published between 2004 and 2005.

Nancy currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their two children, Amanda and Ian, and a crazed cockerspaniel named Pepper .

Reviews

[Shonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s time for the school carnival! Jenny McAfee has several good ideas for a booth, however Addie, her former BFF now a Pop, makes fun of her ideas. Addie believes she will raise more money from her carnival booth. So much so, she challenges Jenny to a bet: whichever girl doesn’t raise the most money will have to wear their pajamas to school!

Jenny’s friends want to help Jenny win this bet. Jenny cannot lose to a Pop! They will NEVER stop teasing her about it. As the school carnival draws near, Addie and the Pops mock Jenny about the pajamas she will have to wear because after all, Addie’s idea is better than Jenny’s. There’s just one thing that could jeopardize Addie’s certain win: the new girl.

Samantha “Sam” recently moved from England. Soon Sam is befriended by the Pops. The girls imitate her style and begin using faux English accents. Addie is jealous with all the attention her friends are now showing Sam. Addie wonders if Sam will replace her as “Queen Bee”. To make sure this doesn’t happen, she has a plan. A plan that will ruin Sam’s reputation and make sure Jenny doesn’t win their bet.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The forth book of the series How I Survived Middle School is called The New girl. This book is written by Nancy Krulik. She makes the books realistic but still exiting. this book is about a girl named Jenny. There was a fund-raising carnival so Jenny and her enemy made a bet. This bet was who ever could make the most money in there carnival booth didn't need to wear pajamas to school but the person who lost needed to. There was a new girl who came to there school. She was from the U.K. Her name was Sam. Sam was friends with Jenny's enemy for a while then she started to be mean to her and Sam became friends with Jenny. Jenny's enemy was going to do a makeover booth so Sam had the idea to have a food booth and a basketball booth. At the end of the carnival Jenny's and her enemy had to wear pajamas to school the next day. Jenny and her friends were so proud of themselves! I would recommend this book to people who like sort fast reads that have an exiting ending to it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is about a new girl coming to Joyce Kilmer Middle School and everyone wants to be her friend. Addie wants to be her friend and so does Jenny and everyone fights among each other to find out who the new girl from England, Sam will chose to be friends with. Sam is being nice to everyone but in the end she choses Jenny and is a really nice person! In the other books you see her with Jenny's friends and hates the Pops. Even though in this book she hung around Addie, she wasn't meant to be a Pop afterall. It was an awesome book!!

[alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is so amazing and i just want you to read it.

[Pooja Dimba · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really lame, that is all I have to say , Really LAME!

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this installment of the series. The characters are still growing and the writing flows. I still say that every kid should read these books.

[Hannah Dougal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland and unrealistic view of school life with an unhealthy "us vs them" narrative between two-dimensional stereotypes. With only a pseudo redemption arc and a few recipes for sweets, it doesn't offer much for the target demographic.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review is great 👍

[Chimashkook]

Good

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Jenny McAfee has a ton of best friends but isn't the most popular girl in her school, since she definitely isn't in with the Pops. But she doesn't let that bother her, since this year she beat out Addie, her ex-best friend who just became popular, for President in the 6th grade student council race. But that only made Addie VP.

The first meeting of the 6th, 7th and 8th grades Presidents and Vice Presidents turns interesting when ideas for raising money are thrown around -- and Jenny goes against Addie's idea for another dance, and votes instead for a carnival. Addie, who is so used to being in charge of everything, wants to make Jenny pay for not backing her up, even though they haven't been friends for like forever.

So Addie decides to make a bet with Jenny that whoever has the least popular booth at the carnival has to wear their pajamas to school, the not so pretty ones, and of course Jenny agrees.

Then enters the new girl, Sam, the girl who makes all the Pops in 6th grade look like 5th graders. Jenny and Addie both see this as the perfect opportunity to make their booth better than the other's, but it is up to Sam to decide who she wants to be friends with.

Sweet and funny, this next installment in the HOW I SURVIVED MIDDLE SCHOOL series is one that readers do not want to miss. Who would have guessed that there was so much drama in the 6th grade?

[Aria Ishimaru]

I recommend the book How I Survived Middle School because the characters in this book are easy to connect to. The characters are easy to connect to because they are also in middle school. A book like this is good for kids to read because they can relate to the characters better. So, kids will understand the characters because they can empathize, and they know what it’s like to be in the characters shoes. People should read this book because it is interesting to read about and because kids will relate and understand their situations.

[Shelby]

This book is about the middle school drama. It's actually a really good book if you enjoy all those girl conflicts/fights in middle school. It is about this new girl that just came to there school. They are habing a competition/fundraiser and which ever fundraiser group wins then they don't have to wear pajamas to school. So they are trying to figure out a way to intresting people so they will win the contest.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this installment of How I Survived Middle School. I liked it more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because I have befriended so many of the new kids in my life, especially in middle school. I could sympathize with Jenny on this issue. Sometimes I feel like I was Jenny at some point. She's a very relatable middle school character. Also, Samantha is super cool. I can understand why Abby felt threatened by her. Recommended.

[Saharrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars.I love how Jenny and the student council are making money for the people that were in the earthquake is South America. I liked how hard they worked on the carnival. Another thing I liked about i is that how they are making money and then send the money to the victoms of the disater. There's a new girl that comes to the US. I liked how she helped Jenny and her friends. And she came up with a lot of ideas.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty nice book for children. It not just a sheer story book, but also involves of various things for fun, like Psychological tests, snack recipes and anecdote about UK & USA English. The book also brings out a positive moral about good and supportive friendship between Jenny and her group of Non-Pops friends. The plot of the story is quite interesting on the average.

[Bubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

how i survived middle school is a book about a girl like any other and her first year of middle school to me this book relates to all girls that comes to middle school for the first time and they are afride that they will not make any friends.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny and Addie(a Pop) are competing to see who is going to earn more money for their booth. Loser has to wear pajamas to school! A new girl in school decides to help Jenny. In the end a Pop goes to school wearing pj's!

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read for MS girls. They can probably relate to main characters feelings about liking who she is and her friends, but still wondering about the popular groups. Has an easy plot structure, predictable ending and positive themes for MS girls.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cool novel about a middle school girl's feelings as she tries to fit in throughout middle school.

[Nicole Sattler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for girls!!! I guess.

[Srchickidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I think this book is really good and can link to most middle school kids. I think every school has their own Addie.

[Reejima]

good and exciting

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

eGGCELLENT TIPS... READ IT!

[Rebeca]

i wmdfminjjJFND

[Priscilla Adom · Rating 5 out of 5]

niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was fine.easy read.

[Azalea]

this book kept me entertained so gr8 author i liked da bookkk

[vampire (dipita) grul · Rating 5 out of 5]

there is a new girl is she a good or bad person?

[Mas5thgrade]

funny