a b Crimson Staff (April 24, 2006). "Kaavya Speaks: 'I Sincerely Apologize' ". The Harvard Crimson. TheCrimson.com . Retrieved May 31, 2009.

This is the second It List book, featuring Jessica Darling (of Sloppy Firsts fame) in middle school. Seventh grade is underway and she's still trying to fit in, continuing on from where the first book left off. Her older sister provides her with a how-to list about making friends and being popular, and Jessica somehow ends up hosting a sleepover that doesn't quite turn out as planned. The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection is the middle school version of Mean Girls, I swear. I can even cast them for you. Bridget would be the obvious choice for Regina George since she's the prettiest and most popular seventh grader, but she's actually more of a Karen Smith, because she doesn't really know what's going on a lot of the time and is very easily led. Manda is the Regina. She even makes up slang (mondo) and decides when it's over. Sara, though she wants to be a queen bee, is Gretchen Wieners, a born follower, who does everything Manda says and always will, even though she resents Regina's treatment of her. Jessica's the Cady and Hope is Janis/Damian, only they could never care enough to make Jessica into the evil popular girl, and Jessica would never want Burke Roy, the Aaron Samuels figure. Also, I'm sure you all didn't need to know all of that, but, whatever, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.Fans of the original books will appreciate the further focus on Hope and her brother, Heath, in this installment. I personally would have liked to have seen more of Heath, particularly because I know what happens to him later on, but I can also see why that stuff might be too heavy for a middle-grade novel. Regardless, Jessica and Hope's blossoming friendship is really fun to read and made me believe in their strong connection way more than the original series ever did. a b c d Zhou, David (April 23, 2006). "Student's Novel Faces Plagiarism Controversy". The Harvard Crimson. TheCrimson.com . Retrieved May 31, 2009. And, like in the first book, there are definitely some interactions with Marcus Flutie. I really don't want to spoil these, but let's just say that Tween Marcus is a very accurate representation of who he will turn out to be in the later books - even more so in this book than in It List #1. The friendship between Jessica and Marcus is absolutely adorable and like a true fangirl, I totally gobbled it up. What It List #2 perfectly conveys is that confusion that happens when your friends are changing and puberty is hitting, and you don't know how to bridge new and old friends. I don't know a girl in the world who won't identify with Jessica and her attempts to navigate friendships - it's that real. And even if Jessica does go to extremes in her ideas of how to solve friendship problems, it's all done with such heart and innocence that you just want to hug her. If you enjoyed the book and the movie, you might also enjoy other books by Megan McCafferty. Some of her other books include Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, and Perfect Fifths. Sequel and Similar Authors to Megan McCafferty

While Bridget keeps taking Jessica's homemade sweets and classifying them as her own to impress Burke, Jessica is expected to always be there all the time Bridget and her many potential break ups with Burke may occur. McCafferty published a Jessica Darling short story called "Fifteen Going On ..." in a 2004 anthology called Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, which she also edited. [3] Controversy [ edit ] It's the day before seventh grade is about to start and Jessica is feeling pretty good. Well, at least until her much older sister, Bethany, comes home and says that she has the perfect guide to not only surviving, but flourishing, in junior high. It's her IT list and as long as Jessica follows it, she's guaranteed a fulfilling experience. Emma Rayne Lyle is excellent as Bridget, Jessica’s best friend. Lyle brings humor and warmth to the role, and she has great chemistry with Chloe East. The scenes between Jessica and Bridget are some of the best in the movie, and Lyle’s performance is a big part of that. Lyle is a talented young actress, and she is a perfect fit for the role of Bridget. Ashley Liao as Manda and Eva Bella as Sara – A Closer LookIn 2006, Harvard student Kaavya Viswanathan was accused of plagiarizing the first two Jessica Darling novels, as well as the works of other writers, in her highly publicized debut novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life. [4] [5] [6] Novels [ edit ] See, Jessica, intelligent though she is, does not excel at pretending to be something she is not. Her half-hearted attempts end up fooling no one. Jessica's a bit of a dork and a teacher's pet, and there's no changing that. If she doesn't care about boys, she won't pretend to and she has trouble caring about her friends' woes over such things either. In fact, her biggest seventh grade fails occur when she stops being Jessica, like when she signs up for CHEER TEAM!!!, which she does not have the spirit for.