"The stories about the transformation of nice quiet girl to a mean popular girl - that was never what I wanted. And what do you do with a protagonist? You put them in difficult situations," says Maya's mother, Monica, 41. She saw herself as a character in her story, as the protagonist. Popular unfolds in a string of big-screen-ready awkward moments, from a school picture day flub to a dateless school dance. What ensued over the school year was Maya's transformation from shy, quiet girl to the person everyone was talking about. She would follow the guide chapter by chapter, from "Good Grooming" to "Modeling Tricks" to "Be a Hostess," not tell anyone what she was doing, and write it all down. Her mom challenged her to follow the book, which offered retro tips for young women on appearance and personality, from standing up straight, to wearing a girdle, pearls and long skirts, to being kind, outgoing and inclusive. The summer before eighth grade, Maya's parents gave her a 1953 self-help guide called Betty Cornell's Teen-Age Popularity Guide, which her dad had scooped up at a vintage shop. Then, a book from the 1950s changed her life. She had one close friend in Texas, and struggled to fit in with her predominantly Spanish-speaking peers. I didn't want to bring attention to myself because I had always been bullied," says Van Wagenen, who is completing 10th grade in Statesboro, Ga., where her family now lives. "Most of my sixth and seventh grade was just keeping my head down. Popular taps into a feeling shared by Bradbury and Bieber enthusiasts alike - the need to fit in during middle school, which Maya calls "the bottom of the bottom." Her book draws on a journal she kept when she was 13 during eighth grade in the border town of Brownsville, Texas. If she doesn't seem overly impressed, that's just Maya. Who socks, she'd rather talk about novels than who might play her in the movie. Visiting bookstores in Soho while on a New York publicity blitz that starts with the Today show, attired in a smart pink blazer and quirky Dr. She made headlines months before Popular's publication when film rights were snapped up by Dreamworks, making her the youngest non-actor to make a feature deal with the studio. Now Van Wagenen has joined their literary ranks with the publication of her memoir, Popular: Vintage Wisdom for the Modern Nerd (Dutton), the first of a two-book deal. She loves Ray Bradbury, Louisa May Alcott and Barbara Kingsolver. She wears signature pearls and lists Charles Dickens as her significant other on Facebook. At 15, she's poised, contemplative and bookish. NEW YORK - Maya Van Wagenen is not your average teen. Watch Video: Self-proclaimed 'geek' follows popularity guide
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