Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl

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Nikki and her friends help in the library and read a lot. Throughout the Dork Diaries series, they refer to various trends in literature, film, and popular culture, like vampires, werewolves, and zombies. What is your favorite current trend? Least favorite? Why? Nikki loves Lady and the Tramp and easily imagines herself in the classic romantic spaghetti dinner scene. What’s your favorite movie from childhood? How could you imagine yourself in a scene? Describe the setting and any friends you would cast beside you. Would you tweak anything from the original script, or would it play out pretty much the same in your life? Nikki imagines what she could do with a love potion...with unfortunate side effects. Meanwhile, Brianna tries to scare Nikki with her toy spider until it's revealed that a real spider is in Nikki's room. Do you think the “thank you for the oatmeal” note Nikki’s mom leaves is sincere, or is she trying to let Nikki know that she is on to her deception but forgives her? Either way, Nikki is very relieved that she’s not in trouble. Have you had a close call where you thought you were busted but ended up being just fine? What happened? Nikki, Chloe, and Zoey each describe the characteristics for their ideal boyfriends. What would be the most important ingredients for your dream date? Why?

Guide was written by Michele Gorman, author of Getting Graphic! Comics for Kids and Getting Graphic! Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens. Nikki’s eccentric grandmother comes to visit for Thanksgiving. We learn that she belongs to an elderly Segway gang and takes road trips. If you have grandparents or older friends/family in your life, what do their lives look like? How are they similar to and different from Nikki’s grandma? What characteristic of theirs would you most like to possess when you get older? It is hinted that Nikki hates Jessica Simpson, because her friends threatened her to force her listen to a CD of hers for two hours.In Nikki’s own words, she was trying to “do it ALL” on Halloween, including paint faces at the ballet class Halloween party, attend the Halloween dance with Chloe and Zoey dressed as a bag of trash, and attend the Halloween dance as Brandon’s date, dressed as Shakespeare’s Juliet. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you took on too much at one time? Were you successful? How would you do it differently if you had to do it over again? Nikki admits that her major crush on Brandon has caused RCS (Roller Coaster Syndrome). What does this mean? Have you ever had this feeling when you are around someone you have a crush on? Does it impact your ability to talk to him or her?

In response to her little sister’s fairy phobia and constant pleas for a bathroom monitor in the middle of the night, Nikki comes up with a plan to banish the imaginary tooth fairy in Brianna’s room for good using a homemade repellent made with water, vinegar, tuna fish oil, sardine oil, and garlic. What’s the most unusual thing you have ever done to get your brother or sister to stop bothering you? Language can be very powerful. Nikki and her friends decide to embrace the label “dork” when naming their band “Dorkalicious.” What happens when someone claims what might be considered a negative label, like “dork,” with pride? Several times in this book, Nikki initially discounts her friends’ assistance and then is pleasantly surprised by the help and support they offer. For example, Nikki finally shares her problem with Chloe and Zoey and feels so relieved to have their help. When Nikki finally pays attention to the gift Brandon is trying to give her, it turns out to be really sweet and helpful. Have you ever discounted a friend's assistance at first and later accepted it? What happened? How did you feel? Nikki is starting at a new private school. How does she learn about the culture of the school and figure out who is trustworthy? Have you ever had to start over at a new school? If yes, how did it feel? If no, how do you think you would act the first few days? Nikki worries a lot about being seen doing things like dancing at Queasy Cheesy or getting dropped off in the roach van. Why can a situation be okay when nobody sees, but humiliating if observed? Why do we care?Having nothing better to do on the night of the dance, Nikki reluctantly agrees to serve on the dance clean-up comitee with her best friends, Chloe and Zoey, as well as help out a ballet class Halloween party for her little sister, Brianna. Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by the task ahead of you? What would it take for you to step up to a challenge that previously seemed impossible? What techniques can make a large task more manageable? Nikki feels like she can’t ask Brandon what his hug means because doing so would betray her interest, so she feigns nonchalance and overanalyzes inside. Have you ever wanted to know something but been embarrassed or afraid even to admit you wanted to know? What, if anything, did you do to try to find out the answer to your question? Nikki keeps Brandon’s secret, and she doesn’t even tell him that she knows. If you discovered a big secret about one of your friends, what would you do? Nikki doesn’t approach her mom about the video problem, her dad about the bug problem, or her friends about either problem. In the previous books, Nikki has also kept her problems to herself—even though her friends constantly prove loyal and helpful. Why doesn’t Nikki share her problems with others? Find three examples in the book that support your answer(s).

Throughout the book, Nikki continually talks about how she is so unpopular, ranking herself lower on the WCD CCP Popularity Index Chart than the school janitor, school mascot, and head lunch lady. In fact, she calls her own diary the “Dork Diary,” and often refers to herself as a dork throughout the book. However, Nikki has several best friends and a popular boy has a crush on her. How do you define popularity? Who determines who is popular at your school? Do you think how you view yourself impacts how others view you?

Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life • Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl • Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star • Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess • Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All • Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker • Tales From a Not-So-Glam TV Star • Tales From a Not-So-Happily Ever After • Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen • Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter • Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy • Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe • Tales from a Not-So-Happy Birthday • Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever • Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure Fountas & Pinnell™ W These books have been officially leveled by using the F&P Text Level Gradient™ Leveling System Nikki Maxwell is torn between two incredible parties in this second installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series! I’m adjusting to my new school and hanging out with my BFFs Chloe and Zoey. And, get this! My crush, Brandon, has asked ME to be his lab partner—a seriously awesome development.

Several times when Nikki is writing about a conversation from earlier in the day, she includes her own very honest and blunt reply, then explains, “But I just say it inside my head, so no one really hears it except me.” When is it good to self-censor? When would it be better to speak up? How can we learn to tell the difference? While Nikki is working as an LSA during 5th hour, she gets a call from her parents saying she has to go to a funeral for Wilbur Roach, the former president of the company Nikki's dad works for. At the funeral, Nikki gets an unexpected case of the hiccups. Nikki asks her best friends for advice. Their classmates write Miss Know-It-All for advice. Who can you ask for advice? Do you ask different people in different situations, or do you have one go-to person for most any problem? Does anybody come to you for advice? Why or why not? Nikki feels that her bedroom should be her own private space. At school, she, Chloe, and Zoey use the janitor’s closet for their meetings. Do you have your own bedroom or another special space that feels like it is all your own? If so, who makes up the rules for this special place? If you could have complete dominion over your space, what would be your top three rules? Throughout the Dork Diaries series, Nikki has given many different kinds of gifts to her friends and family, including budget-saving handmade items, last-minute convenience presents, cherished items that are hard to share, and gifts that might also benefit her—like a dinner gift certificate for two. How do you decide what presents to give your friends and family? What’s the best gift you’ve ever given? The worst?This discussion guide is designed to help your students engage with the text through discussion in small or large groups. The discussion questions can also be used as writing prompts for independent work. The nature of the questions themselves, as well as the variety of suggested response formats and opportunities for interaction with peers, will help students develop proficiency in many of the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. Why do you think Nikki writes, “Make sure you write in your diary every single day” even if you lose the original diary and have to write in a spare notebook? Why is keeping a diary important? It is the only Dork Diaries book that has been published with two different illustrations on its cover.