Deep Down Popular: A Wish Novel: A Wish Novel

This book is deep down popular, dudes and dudettes! It has romance in a very freaky, freaky, fresh way. It's funny and sad, and true to life.

Although it's not the most exciting place in the world, Jessie Lou Ferguson's home of West Taluka Falls, Virginia, has a magic all its own. No, not the Harry Potter wizards-and-dragons kind of magic, but the magic that comes from open surroundings, family-owned businesses and life that doesn't go a mile a minute. Jessie Lou, unlike her older sister Melinda and the popular girls in school, would rather wear her black high-tops than a dress. She is a quiet writer who draws inspiration for her poems from her surroundings, her family and the most popular boy in school, Conrad Parker Smith. Or at least, he was the most popular boy in school. Before Conrad had to wear the leg brace, he was everyone's friend, got invited to all the parties and had plenty of people cheering for him at his soccer games. He was and still is the object of Jessie Lou's longtime crush. But recently, Conrad has had to wear a leg brace. Because of it, he has withdrawn from a lot of his usual activities, and over the months his popularity has steadily declined. He has stopped playing soccer and riding his bike, and he doesn't have any real friends anymore. Jessie Lou lives near Conrad, so her teacher asks if she'll assist him in getting around. They start to hang out with each other more, often accompanied by quirky fourth-grader Quentin Duster. Spending so much time with Conrad is Jessie Lou's dream come true, but when Conrad's leg brace comes off, will their friendship be able to survive? It seems that Conrad's popularity is about to come back, but Jessie Lou is the same Jessie Lou she's always been. What does popularity mean to Conrad? Spend some time in the hot South with Jessie Lou, her mom and sister, and the person she loves more than anyone else --- her cranky grandfather. This is a time of great change for Jessie Lou, but like all of us, she doesn't always see the changes in herself for some time after they've already happened. Through Conrad, Jessie Lou will see what it really means to be popular and to be a friend. Through everyone else, she'll see what it means to have a sense of place, self and family. --- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

As a positive psychologist I was intrigued and eager to read Deep down Popular. It starts out with Jessie sharing with us her amazing and tenacious crush that she has had on Conrad Parker Smith since the second grade. "I loved him to the point where I used to hide in the bushes near the swing set on the playground at school, and when he'd go running by, I'd jump out and pull him down and give him a great big kiss on his cheek." The crush is a dominant theme. As a psychologist I hear many stories from women of all ages and I know that crushes are really important developmentally. I also know that a crush can really 'crush' a girl or a guy and leave that person miserable and full of pain. So, seeing how Jessie Lou handles her crush was fascinating to me. She is one of the lucky ones that actually gets to really know the person she has a crush on. For many, the crush is mostly in our own heads. Following Jessie Lou's adventures with Conrad is a delightful experience. What I had't realized until I read the book is that Phoebe Stone writes not only with passion, but uses language in descriptive ways that create delightful images. Sometimes almost magical. I liked so many of the expressions that Jessie Lou came up with: "inside-out with joy"; "Sometimes a poem will wait and hover under the surface, making me feel like I might split in two getting it out"; and when she is late for school, "It's like everyone vanished from the earth, like something wonderful happened and I missed it, like everyone is somewhere else, and here where I am is the loneliest place in the world....all afternoon that lonely late feeling is going to hover around me like a ghost." Yes, the crush drew me in to the book, but what kept me 'in there' was not so much the crush but the intense energy of a vivid young mind exploring and living. Indeed Jessie Lou is resilient and strong and like the best drawn characters once 'birthed', she is always alive. Now some of her energy will stay with me, as Laura Ingals spirit has stayed in my heart since I was ten. Phoebe is talking about a sequel. I hope she does write one as Jessie Lou is too good to let go of. In conclusion, from a psychological point of view, read this book. It is developmentally sound and uplifting. From a literary point of view read this book, it is beautifully written. And from Jessie Lou's point of view, I'm sure she would be delighted for you to read the book. After all, deep down inside, she knows that she has all the fixings to be sooo popular!

Ever since they were in second grade, Jessie Lou has been in love with Conrad Parker Smith. Conrad had a glow about him that called to people, that drew everyone towards him and made them want to be his friend. As far as Jessie Lou thinks of it, Conrad is just deep down popular, right to his bones. With her beanpole body, scruffy boy's clothes, and shorn hair that she just chopped off with scissors one day because she felt like it, Jessie Lou knows that she would never be in the same league as Conrad. A new brace on Conrad's leg changes all of that. Now that he's had to quit the soccer team and can no longer keep up with the popular kids, Jessie Lou finds herself in the unfortunate position of having to help Conrad home from school. She, Conrad, and awkward tagalong Quentin Duster become the Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea of West Taluka Falls, striking a solid friendship that makes Jessie Lou the happiest girl in the world. Can that friendship survive an experimental operation that could fix Conrad's life for good? Although I was initially put off by the grammatical idiosyncrasies and dialect present throughout the book, I grew to find them endearing to Jessie Lou's character. She has an inspiring, quiet presence that makes the story, and any reader who has never liked the feel of dresses, connect with her. Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose