We Are Party People

by Leslie Margolis

In this middle-grade contemporary novel, a shy girl with party-planner parents learns that stepping out of her comfort zone might not be so scary after all. "I am the opposite of a mermaid and that’s exactly the way I like it."

Shy and quiet, Pixie Jones does everything she can to fade into the background. All she wants is to survive middle school without being noticed. Meanwhile, her parents own the best party-planning business in town. They thrive on attention, love being experts in fun, and throw themselves into party personas, dressing as pirates, princes, mermaids, and more. When her mom leaves town indefinitely and her new friend Sophie decides to run for class president, Pixie finds herself way too close to the spotlight. How far is she willing to go to help the people she loves? Sweet, brave, and laugh-out-loud funny, We Are Party People by Leslie Margolis is a story of quiet triumph. Also by Leslie
We Are Party People
Ghosted Praise for We Are Party People : “The strongest chapters are the lively accounts of how Pixie and Dan organize and run parties without Mom . . . Middle school angst tempered by humorous insights.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Pixie’s friends, Lola and Sophie, provide an excellent example of what good friends should be, and their relationship will show young readers that good friends help and support each other . . . A fun, fast-paced read.” ― Booklist “Shy middle schoolers who tend to downplay their talents will find inspiration to be brave and maybe ideas for planning an amazing party as well.” ― VOYA

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Family, Juvenile, Childrens, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2017

About the author

Leslie Margolis is author of numerous books for children, including the Maggie Brooklyn Mysteries and the Annabelle Unleashed series. Her novel, Boys Are Dogs, was turned into the Disney Channel movie Zapped, starring Zendaya. Leslie’s most recent books, If I Were You, We Are Party People and Ghosted, are published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Leslie lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her two kids have read some of her books, and think they are okay. For more information, please visit www.lesliemargolis.com.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Pixie, whose parents are party planners, learning to embrace her own ability to be part of things.


"I observe as if I am wallpaper with eyes. And then, like the wallpaper, I do nothing."

"My mom says it's good to be observant and sensitive. She says I don't miss a thing. But sometimes I wish I would miss certain things. It's not so fun noticing everything. Not in middle school. Not when some of the stuff I witness is simply horrible and soul crushing."

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute. Pixie is not outlandish or flamboyant and she's okay with that. She likes blending in. The only problem is it's hard to be invisible when her family runs a party planning company. There was a time when you couldn't throw a party in town without Pixie's mom coming in as the acrobatic and hilarious Crazy Chicken. But when her mom has to leave town for a while, Pixie is suddenly being recruited by her dad to help with party business which Pixie hates at the best of times. When her dad tells Pixie she will have to be a mermaid at one of their parties it's a nightmare scenario. Between party business and helping her friend run for class president Pixie is feeling way too noticed. But she also starts to wonder if being seen might be worth it if it means helping the people she cares about. Margolis has a great middle school voice and Pixie is a delightful character. This story is a fun blend of contemporary and wacky. Sure to appeal to any readers who have had to do their own acrobatics to stay out of the limelight.

[Bella H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, I would recommend it. It wasn't perfect, but still very enjoyable and well-written. I recommend this book for girls aged 9-15.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Pixie Jones could not have been born into the least likely family. Her gregarious, risk-taking parents run a party-planning business, and they have no trouble taking on the persona of various rock musicians, princesses or even a mermaid or two. Pixie prefers being in a supporting role and doing all the planning that goes into making these bashes such a success. But with her mother out of town tying up loose ends with her own mother, Pixie and her father are left to take care of the business as best they can. For the most part, Pixie avoids being thrust into any potentially embarrassing situations even while wondering why her new friend, Sophie, is willing to put herself out there for potential ridicule, even running for class president. Pixie spends so much time and energy trying to blend into the woodwork and not embarrass herself in front of Blake, a classmate on whom she has just a tiny crush, that she lets down a lot of folks. Could it be that she is more of a party person than she actually realizes, and that maybe, just maybe, it is her own fears that are holding her back from having a great time and being herself? Many middle grade girls will relate to Pixie's concerns since that particular age can be one filled with much searching and trying to figure out just whom one is. Don't be fooled by the title into missing this one. It has depth, humor, and plenty of self-awareness, especially toward the end.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Are Party People by Leslie Margolis, 278 pages. Farrar Strauss Giroux (Macmillan), 2017. $17.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Pixie’s parents own a successful party planning business and they love it. They are both outgoing, adventurous and love to be in the spotlight. All the things that Pixie, a middle schooler, is not. Pixie is shy and avoids bringing attention to herself. When her grandma gets sick and her mom has to go take care of her, Pixie finds herself doing more at the parties to help her dad out, but she misses her mom and is worried about the mermaid party they have coming up. Pixie’s mom usually plays the part of the mermaid but with her gone, they think Pixie should play the part. However, Pixie knows she isn’t ready for that. If only her mom would come home.

Pixie spends a lot of time flying under the radar, worrying about having all eyes on her, and I remember some of those feelings. There are bound to be students that can relate. I wondered if Pixie would find her courage to do hard things which she did and realized, much to her surprise, that her parents know her so well. Such a cute story.

Reviewer: RB
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2019...

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pixie's parents are the owners of We Are Party People, a party-planning business that focuses on throwing the best parties they possibly can. Pixie's happy with just helping out behind the scenes; she doesn't feel like she has the ability to entertain people like her parents do. When her dad asks her to dress up as a mermaid for one of the upcoming parties since her mom isn't available to do it, Pixie automatically declines; she can't imagine doing anything more humiliating! But over time, Pixie realizes that she doesn't have to let her shyness overtake her life, and she certainly doesn't have to let other people's opinions control her. Maybe she does have the special skills that her parents have after all!

I really liked this book, but there were a few things that annoyed me. I was especially annoyed by Pixie's actions for the first half of the book. She just seemed like a really dramatic character that easily becomes frustrated with people, which annoyed me quite a bit. I also felt like it took her too long to realize that she didn't need to worry so much about other people's opinions; I think that could've happened a lot sooner. I did like the ending though, and the whole concept of the book was interesting. If you are looking for an entertaining contemporary book for your middle schooler, I would recommend picking up We Are Party People.

[J. Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and fun read about a girl named Pixie, who has grown up with parents who throw elaborate and memorable parties for kids. Her parents revel and perform well under the attention, but Pixie hates to stand out - she prefers to blend in whenever possible. Anything that draws attention to her makes her feel anxious and that's likely something a lot of people can relate to.

Her friend Sophie decides to run for class president and Pixie can't understand how someone could put themselves out there like that. Meanwhile, her mom is busy out of town because of an issue with her grandparents, and now her dad wants Pixie to take a greater role in the party business.

There's nothing terribly complex going on here, but there's a lot of fun moments and it was cool to see the various parties. I can only imagine how stressful it would be to constantly work with kids, but the way it's described here does make it sound like a fun job if you have the right approach and skills to it. There's a lot of good lessons as well for a younger audience. All in all, I'd recommend it.

[Bari · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are Party People is the story of a young girl whose parents own a party planning business. Due to unforseen turn of events, she has to help her dad out with the family business. Her parents are very outgoing people, while she tends to be on the quiet /shy side. Helping her dad out with the family business really pushes her outside of her comfort zone.
Can she help her dad and do something that will make her uncomfortable?

The author shows us how it's OK to be yourself at the same time it's great to try something new as well. You may find out that going outside of your comfort zone is exactly what you needed.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always looking for books to recommend to the young readers in the family. This is a great one! It reflects some real world issues (the cool girl clic, the problem of Alzheimer's in the aged, the anxiety of middle school, the tentative first crush) along with positive messages of real friendship and gaining pride in oneself. Well-written and witty, this is a fun read that a tween will enjoy.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
Most girls will be able to identify in some way with main character who is shy, deals with pressures of self image, wanting to be cool, and just overall find herself in the mix.

Backdrop the grandmother is ill so the mother is absent for most of story.
Parents are married but she is alone w dad while mom is away.
Could be any town and any girl esp those that look up to their moms as much as Pixie.

[lotus ✧˚ · . · Rating 5 out of 5]

AhHhhHhH-
FinAllY a No RomAnCe bOok aGain c:
(Well the main character has a crush but that doesn't really count because nothing really happened between them :p)

This book is good for Middle Schoolers because the main character, Pixie, is struggling in 7th grade and trying to find out her true identity, and in the end, the other side of her shows.

And yes, I REALLY recommend this book, it's a good short realistic fiction that I think most people I know would enjoy.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This was ok.

Pixie's parents have a party planning business that rocks! Currently, her mom is away helping her Grandmother so Pixie & her dad have to run the whole show. Pixie suffers from shyness & through the story learns to embrace her awesomeness. While cute, I just wanted more from the story & characters.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are party people is a book that deals with some real life situations. It's a book that makes you want to read more. The main character just wants to fit in in 7th grade. This book is about fitting in in middle school

[violet858 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are Party People is a very sweet and enlightening read for tweens that recognizes a variety of issues for young ages without being too unsettling. The book follows Pixie, a tween herself, struggling to be who she wants to and struggling to find her way in her loud life.
This book I found at my local library and I was intrigued by the cover and the blurb. I instantly wanted to read more then, and as I was reading it, I wanted to keep on reading to the very end. The only thing I was disheartened by was there wasn't really a big conflict, but I actually think this suited it really well. I would recommend this to tweens between the ages of roughly 11-13.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story centers around a 7th grade girl whose family runs the We Are Party People business. Her mother is out of town for several weeks and the daughter has to negotiate helping out more with the business and 7th grade school politics.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! There are lots of fun details about birthday party planning, but it's mainly a story about family, friends and being who you really are.

[Tam I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute middle grade.
Dialogue is painful occasionally.
Love the celiac representation. If it made my day as an adult I can only imagine how great it would be for a kid.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet middle grade friendship story about being true to yourself and realizing your own potential. Recommended for grades 4 and up.

[Chi Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about how you can help your family business. You may find you like something after you try it.

[Ziqin Ng · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really cute book! But it was more middle-grade than YA (really should have checked goodreads before picking it up) and felt a bit too young for me. 12-year-old me would’ve loved this!

[Karren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super cute middle-grade book.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could see a lot of my self-consciousness in Pixie. I loved how, in the end, she was brave and became... LUELLA! An awesome punk rock.... mermaid.

[୨୧victoria୨୧]

i loved this book so much when i first read it!

[Arya Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was really interesting, with a simple, hooking plot. This book stands out from the rest, and I definitely recommend it.

[Salam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good overall but I was expecting a bigger problem to come up towards the end to make it more interesting.

[Meredith Martelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Protagonist is an introvert which is appealing, as students today are forced to be so social all the time.
The story of her confronting her fears, and her relationship with her parents, make this a sweet story.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

-A cute story for younger middle school children. It makes one realize that party planning is a pretty complex but rewarding job.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love. I will definitely be reading more Leslie Margolis books!

[Danielle Mootz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute middle grade story that I can't wait to offer to my daughter soon enough.

[T.J. Burns]

I received a copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.