Social Climbing 101 – Do’s and Don’ts

the Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber
Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser

After the separation of her parents, Mimi Schulman deserts her home in Texas and moves to the Big Apple to live with her dad. Her reason behind this was that she “knew” that her dad couldn’t survive on his own so he needed her to be there with him through his hard times. Her first day at Baldwin School is not what she expected, or is used to. She quickly befriends the “cool, popular” group at school. Well, at least she thinks they’re the It group. When Sam explains to her who they actual cool people are, she finds it unbelievable. They are nothing like the paper-cut, picture perfect, Barbie doll that we and Mimi are used to. So, for the fun of it, she and Sam make a bet. If she makes friends with the “coolies,” as they call them, Sam had to date one of the not so awesome chicks and if she can’t befriend them, she had to hang out with the not so cool people. Mimi quickly forgets the real reason she came to New York as she pursues this new idea.
I Thought that this was a really interesting a book about friendship who your friends really are and what you would do to become popular. I would recommend this book to kids having to deal with these same problems. Mimi really spoke to me because I felt like I was going through the same problems she was, only mine are not as dramatic

London Make Way For Mimi Schulman

Foreign Exposure: The Social Climber Aboard

Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser

Foreign Exposure completes the Social Climber trilogy perfectly, with a cherry on top. In this follow up to More Tales of a 10th Grade Social Climber, Mimi is faced with her biggest obstacle of all, spending her beloved summer vacation with here mom and Maurice. Once her plane lands in Berlin, Germany, and not her mom but Maurice is there to pick her up, Mimi knows that the worst summer of her life has just begun. And she’s not wrong. Just a day in Berlin and she’s already got an unwelcoming job. Only after a week in Berlin, Mimi is ready to leave and come back home. She absolutely can’t stand it. Her baby-sitting job is driving her nuts and her mom doesn’t care enough to give her the time of day. So Mimi, like she always does, takes matters into her own hands and decides to run away. She meets up with Lily in London, where she interns at a magazine owned by a friend of the family hosting her. Afterwards, everything fits into place again. Mimi feels right at home as she lives the life of the rich and famous, going to late night parties, chasing down celebrities, and most importantly, hanging out with the cute guy from work. But can she handle it all? This isn’t Baldwin High anymore. She is actually messing with people’s lives here. Does she have what it takes to survive?

Lauren and Laura do it again, although I’m not sure how they managed to pull off such an awesome book. Foreign Exposure is full of life and adventure, a killer combination. I would recommend it to kids ages 14+ and to fans of the previous books. They will not be disappointed in what is held between the book covers of Foreign Exposure.