5 Reasons to Delve into the Dork Diaries
OMG! Nikki Maxwell is back in an all-new Dork Diaries book, Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen, the ninth in Rachel Renée Russell’s crazy-popular tween series. But something is majorly wrong: there’s been a huge misunderstanding between Nikki and her crush, Brandon, and mean girl MacKenzie hates Nikki even more than usual right now. Worst of all, a member of the CCP (cute, cool, and popular) clique gets her hands on Nikki’s diary.
Have no idea what we’re talking about? Then you must be one of the few Dork Diaries holdouts, and it’s time to join the club. Including the latest installment, there are ten and a half books in the series, told from the first-person perspective of 14-year-old eighth grader Nikki, who is navigating middle school, and all its crushes, friends, enemies, wanting (and not getting) an iPhone, starting a new school, and more.
Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen (Dork Diaries Series #9) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Hardcover $13.99
Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen (Dork Diaries Series #9) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Hardcover $13.99
Check out our top five reasons for digging into these diaries ASAP.
1. It’ll give you tons of summer reading material. School’s about to be out, and, sure, that may mean putting down some of the books, but certainly not all of them. And the Dork Diaries books are perfect for whiling away those hot summer days. Part comic and part notebook-style novel, they’re super-quick, hilarious reads full of detailed entries, drawings, and doodles from Nikki’s day-to-day life, at Westchester Country Day and beyond.
2. Hello—you’re reading someone else’s diary without getting into trouble. Scandalous! Nikki confesses all within the confines of her diary, from BFF conflict with pals Zoey and Chloe in Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, to worries over Brandon asking MacKenzie to the biggest dance of the year in Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl. And Nikki’s dramatic personality comes through on the page in a big way; it’s like she’s reading you the diary herself.
3. Middle school is totes awkward for everyone (even the CCP girls, we promise). Mention middle school to any grownup, and you’re sure to get at least a grimace or a sigh. No matter how long ago it was, we all remember it, and it was tough. You’re dealing with homework, teachers, parents, peer pressure, friends, enemies, frenemies, crushes, dances, breakouts, breakups—it’s a lot, whether you’re a self-described dork or a CCP. Just look at popular MacKenzie: In the beginning of Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen, she’s stuck cleaning the bug-infested showers in the girls’ locker room as punishment for hitting Nikki with a dodgeball, and Nikki notices a dead stink bug in MacKenzie’s hair during French class—gross! Then MacKenzie does something super-embarrassing in front of the whole class that even her cuteness, coolness, and popularity can’t fix.
4. Being dorky is actually pretty cool. Being a dork gets a bad rap. If it means embracing who you are, like Nikki does, then being called a dork is actually a pretty big compliment. And just look at some of the awesome stuff Nikki does over the course of the series—she lands an advice column in the school newspaper in Dork Diaries 5: Tales from a Not-so-Smart Miss Know-it-All, gets her own reality TV show in Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star, and takes a dreamy trip into a magical fairy tale land in Dork Diaries 8: Tales from a Not-So-Happily Ever After. Often, behind a confident exterior like CCP MacKenzie has, there’s actually a lot of insecurity. And we definitely see that in the Dork Diaries series.
5. It might just inspire you to start keeping a diary of your own. Nikki expresses herself in her diary, and you can too! Not sure where to start? Grab a pen, and check out Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary. In it, Nikki can’t find her diary anywhere! Until she finds it, she’s starting a list of diary-keeping lessons for emergencies like this one. Plus, there’s plenty of space for you to write and draw your own entries. Then check out Dork Diaries: OMG! All About Me Diary!, a guided journal just for you with questions for every day of the year.
Which book is your favorite in the Dork Diaries series?
Check out our top five reasons for digging into these diaries ASAP.
1. It’ll give you tons of summer reading material. School’s about to be out, and, sure, that may mean putting down some of the books, but certainly not all of them. And the Dork Diaries books are perfect for whiling away those hot summer days. Part comic and part notebook-style novel, they’re super-quick, hilarious reads full of detailed entries, drawings, and doodles from Nikki’s day-to-day life, at Westchester Country Day and beyond.
2. Hello—you’re reading someone else’s diary without getting into trouble. Scandalous! Nikki confesses all within the confines of her diary, from BFF conflict with pals Zoey and Chloe in Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, to worries over Brandon asking MacKenzie to the biggest dance of the year in Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl. And Nikki’s dramatic personality comes through on the page in a big way; it’s like she’s reading you the diary herself.
3. Middle school is totes awkward for everyone (even the CCP girls, we promise). Mention middle school to any grownup, and you’re sure to get at least a grimace or a sigh. No matter how long ago it was, we all remember it, and it was tough. You’re dealing with homework, teachers, parents, peer pressure, friends, enemies, frenemies, crushes, dances, breakouts, breakups—it’s a lot, whether you’re a self-described dork or a CCP. Just look at popular MacKenzie: In the beginning of Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen, she’s stuck cleaning the bug-infested showers in the girls’ locker room as punishment for hitting Nikki with a dodgeball, and Nikki notices a dead stink bug in MacKenzie’s hair during French class—gross! Then MacKenzie does something super-embarrassing in front of the whole class that even her cuteness, coolness, and popularity can’t fix.
4. Being dorky is actually pretty cool. Being a dork gets a bad rap. If it means embracing who you are, like Nikki does, then being called a dork is actually a pretty big compliment. And just look at some of the awesome stuff Nikki does over the course of the series—she lands an advice column in the school newspaper in Dork Diaries 5: Tales from a Not-so-Smart Miss Know-it-All, gets her own reality TV show in Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star, and takes a dreamy trip into a magical fairy tale land in Dork Diaries 8: Tales from a Not-So-Happily Ever After. Often, behind a confident exterior like CCP MacKenzie has, there’s actually a lot of insecurity. And we definitely see that in the Dork Diaries series.
5. It might just inspire you to start keeping a diary of your own. Nikki expresses herself in her diary, and you can too! Not sure where to start? Grab a pen, and check out Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary. In it, Nikki can’t find her diary anywhere! Until she finds it, she’s starting a list of diary-keeping lessons for emergencies like this one. Plus, there’s plenty of space for you to write and draw your own entries. Then check out Dork Diaries: OMG! All About Me Diary!, a guided journal just for you with questions for every day of the year.
Which book is your favorite in the Dork Diaries series?