Class Favorite

The story opens with a rough week for Sara Thurman, who has just reached a milestone she is not ready to talk about. On February 14, her mother has a Valentine's Day delivery sent to Sara's class, and its contents turn Sara, who has always been content with one close friend, Arlene, into the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. At Bowie Junior High, everyone seems to know a private detail about her, and each attempt to blend in makes her stand out more.

Sara's life outside school feels just as unsettled. Arlene seems to have less time for her, a crush on Jason makes her heart race, and her dad's departure has changed the house in ways she cannot put into words. Sara has begun to wonder whether life would feel easier if she were popular, and she is not sure she can remember what normal felt like anyway.

Determined to stop being the girl everyone whispers about, Sara makes a plan. If she cannot beat the popular kids, she will join them, and she sets out on a secret mission to become the class favorite.