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This is a big week for Maya Van Wagenen. Just 24 hours before we meet， her very first book hits shelves across the country. She’s in New York to appear on The Today Show， and do a million interviews that 1）accompany the book’s 2）release. But unlike most firsttime authors， Maya’s worried about keeping up with the 3）assignments she’s missing back at her high school in Georgia.
“I actually feel really bad right now because I’m 4）procrastinating on all my homework！” the 15-yearold admits. I tell her she gets a pass， 5）what with 6）promoting her book and all. Oh， and by the way， Popular isn’t just any book—it’s her 8th grade 7）journal that’s been published.
As a middle schooler in a Texas 8）border town， Maya considered herself an outsider. “I always struggled with making friends and finding 9）confidence，” she says. “I felt 10）bullied and alone， and it was really hard for me.” Then she 11）stumbled upon Betty Cornell’s Teen-Age Popularity Guide， a 1950s how-to book that her dad bought at a 12）thrift store before she was even born. She decided to follow the advice—devoting each month of her 8th grade year to different chapters like “Good 13）Grooming” and “Be a Hostess”—and see if she could， in fact， become popular. Every day she’d take notes on how people 14）responded to her secret efforts （that’s right， nobody knew she was 15）conducting this social experiment）， and then she’d write detailed stories about her experience over the weekend.
“Pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing things I never thought I’d have the courage to do definitely helped to 16）boost confidence，”Maya explains. “I made friends for the first time in my life. I learned that the kind of popularity based on the 17）hierarchy our school created wasn’t real. Reaching out to others and having the courage to stand up for yourself and for other people—that’s the kind of popularity that’s important. It could change the world.”
After she finished the project， she sent the journal to her family. Her uncle passed it along to a writer friend who in turn 18）forwarded it to his 19）agent. The agent wanted to sign Maya immediately. It was just the beginning： Penguin was the first publisher to bite， and Dreamworks got the movie rights months before the book’s release date.
While there were tons of people 20）pulling for Maya， her biggest supporter was no doubt Betty Cornell herself. In the book， they connect over the phone， but a face-to-face meeting was a must. “I flew out and stayed with her and her daughter，”Maya says. “Betty’s exactly like you would expect. She’s 87 years old and looks fantastic. She’s just a wonderful person—she lives the book with everything she does， and she’s been so supportive.” And while she’s riding the high of Popular 21）for the time being， she has something else on her mind： her next book. Besides all that homework she has to do when she gets home， she’s also writing a novel to 22）round out her two-book 23）deal from Penguin.
“I’m excited to move on to 24）fiction，” she says， noting that she doesn’t think she’ll write another 25）memoir for a while. “Fiction has always been my first love—it’s what I wrote when I was younger， and what I continue to write 26）on the side.” Her second book is set to come out just in time for senior year. And while her professional writing duties keep her from 27）extracurriculars， she does find time to enjoy Netflix注 （she’s a fan of Doctor Who， Sherlock， and Star Trek） and Facebook （which is where she keeps up with her friends， since she doesn’t have a cell phone—by choice）.
“People always ask me， ‘Why don’t you just home-school so you have time to work？’” she says.“But it’s fun， and I want to be a young adult writer！ This is my chance to experience high school， so it’s a 28）priority.”
Getting 29）inspiration for a whole new cast of characters is totally sophomore year-30）appropriate， though now it’s time for Popular’s 31）subjects—Maya’s 32）former classmates， many of whom she hasn’t talked to since her family moved to Georgia at the 33）conclusion of the book—to give their opinions. “I think people are a little nervous. The guy I wrote about having a crush on had no idea I was doing a book， so that should be interesting，”she says with a smile. And then there’s that tweet somebody posted， which perfectly 34）sums it all up：“Hey， remember that girl Maya Van Wagenen from middle school？ She wrote a book. We should have been nicer to her.”
对马娅·范瓦根伦来说，这个星期可重要了：我们见面的前一天，她的第一本书在全美各地上架；她还到纽约参加《今日秀》的录制，随着新书的发行接受了无数次采访。但和大多数第一次出书的作家不同，马娅担心的是（佐治亚）高中布置下来、她还没来得及做的作业。
“事实上，我现在感觉挺糟的，因为我耽误了所有功课！”这位15岁的学生承认道。我对她说，鉴于她对新书的宣传，她会过关的。噢，顺便提一下，《流行指南》不是普通的书，而是一本被出版成书的8年级日记。
作为德克萨斯州一个边界城镇的中学生，马娅一直觉得自己不合群。“在交朋友和寻找自信方面，我处处碰壁，”她说。“我觉得自己被欺负，很孤独，真的很难受。”而后，她无意中发现了《贝蒂·康奈尔的青少年流行指南》，这本50年代的指南是马娅还没出生的时候她爸爸在一家旧货店买的。她决定按书上的建议做—8年级的时候，她每个月会根据不同章节，如“端庄的打扮”和“当个女主人”（的指示）去做—然后看看自己是否真的会变得受欢迎。每天她都会记下人们对她那秘密行动的反应（是的，没有人知道她在进行这项社会实验），到了周末，她就写下这段经历的详细故事。
“强迫自己走出舒适区、做一些我从来不敢做的事情，这绝对有助我提升自信，”马娅解释道。“我人生中第一次交到了朋友；我认识到，我们学校那种分等级的所谓受欢迎度是不真实的。接触别人，有勇气为自己和别人说话—这样的受欢迎度才是重要的，它可以改变世界。”
完成这个计划后，她把日记发给了家人。她的叔叔把它发给了他的一个作家朋友，而这位朋友又把日记转给了他的经理人。这位经理人想马上和马娅签约。这只是开始：企鹅出版社是第一个拿下这本书的公司，梦工厂影业公司在该书发行前几个月也拿到了该书的电影版权。
尽管有很多人在背后支持马娅，但给予她最强大后盾的无疑是贝蒂·康奈尔本人。在书中，她们通过电话联系，然而面对面的谈话是必须的。“我坐飞机去找她，在她以及她女儿家中小住了一下，”马娅说。“贝蒂和你想象中一模一样。她今年87岁了，看起来很不错。她太棒了—对于她的书，她可谓身体力行，她给了我很大支持。”
正当她因《流行指南》春风得意之时，马娅头脑里想着其他东西：她的下一本书。除了回家后要完成所有功课以外，她还要写一本小说，以完成她和企鹅出版社签订的两本书合约。
“对于能够转到小说创作，我可兴奋了，”马娅意识到自己暂时不会再写自传类作品了。“小说一直是我的‘初恋’—年少一点的时候我就是写小说的，我会在业余时间继续写下去。”她的第二本书计划赶在高中最后一年出炉。尽管她的专职写作任务让她无法参加课外活动，但马娅还是会腾出时间看Netflix的节目（她是《神秘博士》、《神探夏洛克》和《星际迷航》的粉丝）、上脸谱网（她是在这里和朋友保持联系的，因为她没有手机—不用手机是她的选择）。
“人们经常问我；‘你为什么不在家接受教育？这样你就有时间工作了。’”她说。“但上学很好玩啊，我想当一名年轻人的作家！学校给了我体验高中生活的机会，所以它是我的首选。”
尽管马娅应该在10年级为（新书的）全新角色汲取灵感，但现在是时候让《流行指南》的主角们，也就是马娅以前的同学发表意见了—自从完成《流行指南》搬到佐治亚州后，她很久没和他们当中的很多人说话了。“我觉得大家会有一点紧张。我在书中写的那个我暗恋的男生，他完全不知道我在写书，所以应该挺有趣的，”她笑着说道。有人发了这么一条推特，恰如其分地做了总结；“嘿，还记得中学那个叫马娅·范瓦根伦的女生吗？她写了一本书。我们以前应该对她好一点。”
“I actually feel really bad right now because I’m 4）procrastinating on all my homework！” the 15-yearold admits. I tell her she gets a pass， 5）what with 6）promoting her book and all. Oh， and by the way， Popular isn’t just any book—it’s her 8th grade 7）journal that’s been published.
As a middle schooler in a Texas 8）border town， Maya considered herself an outsider. “I always struggled with making friends and finding 9）confidence，” she says. “I felt 10）bullied and alone， and it was really hard for me.” Then she 11）stumbled upon Betty Cornell’s Teen-Age Popularity Guide， a 1950s how-to book that her dad bought at a 12）thrift store before she was even born. She decided to follow the advice—devoting each month of her 8th grade year to different chapters like “Good 13）Grooming” and “Be a Hostess”—and see if she could， in fact， become popular. Every day she’d take notes on how people 14）responded to her secret efforts （that’s right， nobody knew she was 15）conducting this social experiment）， and then she’d write detailed stories about her experience over the weekend.
“Pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing things I never thought I’d have the courage to do definitely helped to 16）boost confidence，”Maya explains. “I made friends for the first time in my life. I learned that the kind of popularity based on the 17）hierarchy our school created wasn’t real. Reaching out to others and having the courage to stand up for yourself and for other people—that’s the kind of popularity that’s important. It could change the world.”
After she finished the project， she sent the journal to her family. Her uncle passed it along to a writer friend who in turn 18）forwarded it to his 19）agent. The agent wanted to sign Maya immediately. It was just the beginning： Penguin was the first publisher to bite， and Dreamworks got the movie rights months before the book’s release date.
While there were tons of people 20）pulling for Maya， her biggest supporter was no doubt Betty Cornell herself. In the book， they connect over the phone， but a face-to-face meeting was a must. “I flew out and stayed with her and her daughter，”Maya says. “Betty’s exactly like you would expect. She’s 87 years old and looks fantastic. She’s just a wonderful person—she lives the book with everything she does， and she’s been so supportive.” And while she’s riding the high of Popular 21）for the time being， she has something else on her mind： her next book. Besides all that homework she has to do when she gets home， she’s also writing a novel to 22）round out her two-book 23）deal from Penguin.
“I’m excited to move on to 24）fiction，” she says， noting that she doesn’t think she’ll write another 25）memoir for a while. “Fiction has always been my first love—it’s what I wrote when I was younger， and what I continue to write 26）on the side.” Her second book is set to come out just in time for senior year. And while her professional writing duties keep her from 27）extracurriculars， she does find time to enjoy Netflix注 （she’s a fan of Doctor Who， Sherlock， and Star Trek） and Facebook （which is where she keeps up with her friends， since she doesn’t have a cell phone—by choice）.
“People always ask me， ‘Why don’t you just home-school so you have time to work？’” she says.“But it’s fun， and I want to be a young adult writer！ This is my chance to experience high school， so it’s a 28）priority.”
Getting 29）inspiration for a whole new cast of characters is totally sophomore year-30）appropriate， though now it’s time for Popular’s 31）subjects—Maya’s 32）former classmates， many of whom she hasn’t talked to since her family moved to Georgia at the 33）conclusion of the book—to give their opinions. “I think people are a little nervous. The guy I wrote about having a crush on had no idea I was doing a book， so that should be interesting，”she says with a smile. And then there’s that tweet somebody posted， which perfectly 34）sums it all up：“Hey， remember that girl Maya Van Wagenen from middle school？ She wrote a book. We should have been nicer to her.”
对马娅·范瓦根伦来说，这个星期可重要了：我们见面的前一天，她的第一本书在全美各地上架；她还到纽约参加《今日秀》的录制，随着新书的发行接受了无数次采访。但和大多数第一次出书的作家不同，马娅担心的是（佐治亚）高中布置下来、她还没来得及做的作业。
“事实上，我现在感觉挺糟的，因为我耽误了所有功课！”这位15岁的学生承认道。我对她说，鉴于她对新书的宣传，她会过关的。噢，顺便提一下，《流行指南》不是普通的书，而是一本被出版成书的8年级日记。
作为德克萨斯州一个边界城镇的中学生，马娅一直觉得自己不合群。“在交朋友和寻找自信方面，我处处碰壁，”她说。“我觉得自己被欺负，很孤独，真的很难受。”而后，她无意中发现了《贝蒂·康奈尔的青少年流行指南》，这本50年代的指南是马娅还没出生的时候她爸爸在一家旧货店买的。她决定按书上的建议做—8年级的时候，她每个月会根据不同章节，如“端庄的打扮”和“当个女主人”（的指示）去做—然后看看自己是否真的会变得受欢迎。每天她都会记下人们对她那秘密行动的反应（是的，没有人知道她在进行这项社会实验），到了周末，她就写下这段经历的详细故事。
“强迫自己走出舒适区、做一些我从来不敢做的事情，这绝对有助我提升自信，”马娅解释道。“我人生中第一次交到了朋友；我认识到，我们学校那种分等级的所谓受欢迎度是不真实的。接触别人，有勇气为自己和别人说话—这样的受欢迎度才是重要的，它可以改变世界。”
完成这个计划后，她把日记发给了家人。她的叔叔把它发给了他的一个作家朋友，而这位朋友又把日记转给了他的经理人。这位经理人想马上和马娅签约。这只是开始：企鹅出版社是第一个拿下这本书的公司，梦工厂影业公司在该书发行前几个月也拿到了该书的电影版权。
尽管有很多人在背后支持马娅，但给予她最强大后盾的无疑是贝蒂·康奈尔本人。在书中，她们通过电话联系，然而面对面的谈话是必须的。“我坐飞机去找她，在她以及她女儿家中小住了一下，”马娅说。“贝蒂和你想象中一模一样。她今年87岁了，看起来很不错。她太棒了—对于她的书，她可谓身体力行，她给了我很大支持。”
正当她因《流行指南》春风得意之时，马娅头脑里想着其他东西：她的下一本书。除了回家后要完成所有功课以外，她还要写一本小说，以完成她和企鹅出版社签订的两本书合约。
“对于能够转到小说创作，我可兴奋了，”马娅意识到自己暂时不会再写自传类作品了。“小说一直是我的‘初恋’—年少一点的时候我就是写小说的，我会在业余时间继续写下去。”她的第二本书计划赶在高中最后一年出炉。尽管她的专职写作任务让她无法参加课外活动，但马娅还是会腾出时间看Netflix的节目（她是《神秘博士》、《神探夏洛克》和《星际迷航》的粉丝）、上脸谱网（她是在这里和朋友保持联系的，因为她没有手机—不用手机是她的选择）。
“人们经常问我；‘你为什么不在家接受教育？这样你就有时间工作了。’”她说。“但上学很好玩啊，我想当一名年轻人的作家！学校给了我体验高中生活的机会，所以它是我的首选。”
尽管马娅应该在10年级为（新书的）全新角色汲取灵感，但现在是时候让《流行指南》的主角们，也就是马娅以前的同学发表意见了—自从完成《流行指南》搬到佐治亚州后，她很久没和他们当中的很多人说话了。“我觉得大家会有一点紧张。我在书中写的那个我暗恋的男生，他完全不知道我在写书，所以应该挺有趣的，”她笑着说道。有人发了这么一条推特，恰如其分地做了总结；“嘿，还记得中学那个叫马娅·范瓦根伦的女生吗？她写了一本书。我们以前应该对她好一点。”