Paperback, $12.99
ISBN: 978-0-9907858-0-4
Young Adult Fiction, 338 pages
October 7, 2014
Tautog Press
Getting in is hard. Staying in is harder...
Joining social network Populatti.com let sixteen-year-old Livi Stanley
trade her awkward middle school past for the social life of her dreams. Because
Populatti isn’t just a social network. It's a club, providing access to
friends. Parties. And Livi's crush, star baseball player Brandon Dash.
Yet lately, online rumors have been threatening Livi's place in
the group. And not even her friends are doing much to stop them. Leaving Livi
to prove them wrong, and fast.
Before
her life as a popster is over.
What Readers Are
Saying…
On Amazon.com:
“This is a timely and realistic book that
explores social media in the high school setting. While the younger set will
certainly love it (Gossip Girl fans come to mind), it is a really interesting
read from the adult perspective too. Livi is likeable and complex...and the
plot moves right along! Some of the scenes brought me right back to high
school!”
-Litsnob49
“The book is more than a good read. It is a view into how a
girl's life today is similar to the past, but so much more complicated. I love
that some important lessons are conveyed in a contemporary way. This book is a
perfect gift for any teen or pre-teen girl,, and it will probably be
enlightening to some Moms and Dads as well.”
-Robin M.
“Livi and her friends reminded me
(almost too much!) of my friends when we were her age. The balance between BFFs
and boyfriends, the social climbing and the desire to have just the right
outfit will bring you right back to being 16. I loved On the Line and was so
excited to read the next installment by this author...Populatti did not
disappoint!”
-YAobsessed49
“Loved the characters (especially Livi)
and detailed descriptions of scenes and conversations. Really felt like I was
at Golden Hill and desperate to join the Populatti! Page-turner that kept me up
at night reading to find out what happens next. Looking forward to the next
installment from this author!”
-Heather224
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Angelle Barbazon
574-350-4501
New YA realistic fiction looks at perils of
social media in high school
Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper follows up first popular novel with Populatti
STAMFORD, Conn. – Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper’s new young adult
fiction work explores the intersection of high school and social media.
In Populatti, sixteen-year-old Livi Stanley trades her
awkward middle school past for the social life of her dreams after being
accepted into Populatti.com, an exclusive website designed by her friends where
members are voted in by their peers and can then be voted out depending on
their behavior. When online rumors about Livi start threatening her place in
the group, without even her friends doing much to stop them, Livi is left to
prove them wrong – and quickly.
Populatti is Bardenwerper’s second book, following her
successful young adult novel On the Line, which
was an honorable mention recipient in the Writers’ Digest first annual Self-Published
eBook Awards. Like her first book, Populatti centers
on a young girl who must rise to a challenge and find her voice in the process.
This novel also takes a look at the landscape of high school bullying today.
“I really wanted to take a look at the more subtle types of
bullying that often occur in high school settings,” Bardenwerper said. “While
we hear about the most serious incidents, a lot of bullying often goes
unreported, especially when it originates from one’s friends. In Populatti, I wanted to focus on these complexities of
teen friendships, especially with regard to social media.”
Populatti is a page turner with plenty of life lessons
for young adults, but also provides insight for adults about how different high
school is today than it once was, in part because of social media.
Bardenwerper writes from Stamford where she lives with her
husband and daughter.
REVIEW
This book made me feel young(er) again! It took me back to a time when fitting in and being socially acceptable were the most important things in my life. I wouldn't say I was a part of the in crowd, but I had my girls just like Livi did, and we went through many ups and downs. Boy trouble, back-stabbing and bitchiness all come with the territory but in the end friendship always wins out.
The interesting thing about this book was seeing just how easily Populatti ruled these characters lives. Even best friends deceived and plotted against each other all in the name it. So I had to wonder how far these girls (because the guys weren't into all the drama) were willing to go to make sure they remained in this group.
Well-written, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable, this book was a blast to read. I was shocked by some of the behavior, but it was so very on point. Bardenwerper has created such believable and relatable characters and scenes that I could have easily been reading my old high school journal.
Praise for On the Line
“A charming coming-of-age tale set in the Florida
Keys.”
-Kirkus
“This is one of those books once you start reading
you don’t want to put down. Every character is so well-developed that you feel
as they are real and you actually know them. They are authentic teenagers and
not adults pretending to be teens.”
-Forever
YA Fiction
“This was a really great read! I tore through it,
reading it in a few hours over a couple of plane rides. I couldn’t put it down.
. . . It’s not very often that I am so pleasantly surprised by how good a book
is, but this one did it for me. If you are looking for unique and engrossing read,
I would definitely check it out!”
-Book
Nerds Across America
“When we are looking for great beach books for Spring
Break or summer, or that beach getaway in our mind, we want compelling
characters, a page-turning story, juicy details, steamy emotion, and enough
romance to keep it real. On The Line, by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper, fills our
checklist perfectly… but really is so much more than just a juicy beach read.”
-PopCosmo
Selected for Outdoor
Canada’s “2012 holiday gift guide for kids”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper is an author of young adult realistic
fiction. Her first novel, On
the Line, is an honorable mention
recipient in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards. She releases her second
YA novel, Populatti, in time for National Anti-Bullying Month
this October.
She graduated with honors from Cornell University, where her
thesis addressed the emerging field of social media. She now lives in Stamford,
Connecticut with her husband, Tad, and daughter, Cecilia.
Bardenwerper worked in public relations and marketing for seven
years before deciding to devote her time to writing and raising her daughter.
She is also an avid runner and, as may be evident in her writing, loves the
beach and ocean.
Twitter (@jnbwrite)
Q&A with Jackie
Nastri Bardenwerper
Where did you get the idea for Populatti?
This story came to me when I learned about the dating website www.beautifulpeople.com back in 2010. It was about how you had to be
voted into the site and could be voted out if your looks changed and the
community decided you were no longer beautiful. It sounded terrible – and very
much like something high school kids might do! So I adapted the concept to work
in a high school setting. I also really wanted to take a look at both the overt
and more subtle types of bullying that often occur in high school settings. We
hear a lot about the more overt incidents, but a lot of bullying really is more
subtle and can often come from kids’ so-called friends!
How did you come up with the name for the
book and the social media site, Populatti.com?
I tried to put myself in my characters’ shoes and think about what
they would want in a name if they were creating a site. I figured they’d want
something that spoke to the site’s exclusiveness, sounded unique and had a URL
that was actually available. After some serious brainstorm sessions with
friends and family, Populatti was the clear winner.
The main character Livi is easy to root
for. How did you shape her character?
Shaping Livi into a likeable character was probably one of my
biggest challenges throughout the writing and revising process. Because while
Populatti.com has many elements that are cruel, I wanted it to be clear that
Livi herself was not a mean person. I tried to accomplish this by showing that Livi
was a well-rounded girl who cared about academics, her family and her friends, yet
struggled with insecurities stemming from bullying she experienced in middle
school which she attended in another town.
I found Livi’s insecurities to be a very important part of her character
as they helped explained why she cared so deeply about Populatti, while also
demonstrating the subjectivity – and irrationality– of popularity. Nothing
about Livi changed when she moved towns except for the people, yet in one town
she was popular and in the other she was bullied. I found this was an important
point to make, and one Livi herself didn’t really understand until the
conclusion of the book.
Why after a career in public relations did
you decide to start writing young adult fiction?
I actually first started writing young adult fiction during my
free time in college and spent many years after writing manuscripts and
improving my craft. Both On
the Line and Populatti were written at night while I was working full
time. After the birth of my daughter, I knew there were not enough hours in the
day to work full time, write at night, and be the type of mom I wanted to be.
So I had to make a choice – continue in marketing and put my writing on hold,
or take a risk and keep writing. I decided it was finally time to pursue my
passion, and every day I wake up feeling incredibly lucky that
I get to be with my daughter while pursuing my dream.
Has your daughter influenced your writing?
Definitely! While I have always shied away from profanity and explicit
material in my writing, having my daughter has really solidified my stance on
this issue. Now whenever I sit down to write, I think about whether it’s
something I’d want her to read in 10 or 15 years. And if the thought of her reading
makes me feel a little queasy, then I know I need to reconsider. Because while
I want my stories to be realistic and truthful, I also want them to help girls
feel good about being themselves.
Finding the right balance can be challenging, but I believe it is
important, especially as I hear from more preteen and tween readers.
What advice do you have for parents (or
their teens) in making social media decisions?
- Accept that social media is here to stay, but recognize that it
shouldn’t be all-consuming.
- Create a social media policy together with your teen. Whether
it’s limiting time spent on sites, agreeing to parent-monitored profile pages,
or avoiding certain sites altogether, make sure you have their buy-in.
- Begin the conversation way before the teen years. Make sure kids
know about the permanence of what is posted online, and how online anonymity
can make bullying much easier and more painful. Teach kids that you are there
to help, not judge, if a difficult situation ever arises.
- Work to create an open dialogue with your teen about all facets
of their lives, not just their online profiles.
- Encourage participation in real-world activities such as sports,
clubs and other extracurriculars that can help teens build confidence and
relationships based on more than just social status.
- Let your teen know you are their biggest cheerleader, and you
will always support them nomatter what.
Are you planning to write more young adult
fiction?
Yes! I am currently hard at work on a new novel about a high school
sailing champion living in another small beach community in Connecticut. Right
now I am researching some local legends and working on tying them into the
plot. I am really excited about this new novel and can’t wait to share more
details soon!
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