Does anyone remember this imprint? It was tweenage drama and fun, which I sadly think it’s defunct now, but it was all the rage in scholastic bookfair mags and my mom bought them by the bundle. So in honor of those sparkly apples, here are my faves.

1. Wish you were here, Liza/See you soon, Samantha/Miss you, Mina by Robin Wasserman, Laura Bergen and Denene Milner

I used to read this trilogy every summer because as you can guess it, it was all about summer vacay. Liza’s was my favorite as it is a road trip across the US to all the corniest tourist traps because her parents insist on finding the ‘real’ America. With that premise, there are plenty of cool adventures as Liza learns to embrace her weird and stop being so self-conscious enough to find her thing. Sam was my second fav as the boy-crazy girl learns to embrace a summer of singledom at the beach, finding ways to make do on her own. Finally Mina gets to go to an art camp in NY with her beloved aunt but it is not as she dreamed it would be as she gets critiques and deals with a girl who won’t play fair. They’re all really fun adventures and nice to see how they get interconnected knowing how each are spending their summer apart.

2. Accidentally Fabulous Quartet by Lisa Papademetriou

This one really got the complexities of middle school and how the ebb and flow of popularity works and is able to masterfully balance between boy drama, enemy turned frenemy in a way that is surprisingly well done without cliche sob story turned redemption and simply good friendships.

3. Miss Popularity trilogy by Francesco Sedita

What happens when a Texas girl is transferred to staid New England? Drama and glitter! Don’t worry the titular Mis Popularity may charge ahead with her big ideas but she has a bigger heart even if she sometimes goes about it the wrong way. She also understands the bonding powers that is the Wicked soundtrack.

4. Life, Starring Me! by Robin Wasserman

I love musicals so of course, I enjoy this one that has musical quotes at the start of each chapter. The main character, Ruby has just been dropped from her role alongside the touring cast of Bye Bye Birdie. Without a job, she heads back home for a normal high school existance. Only to find out she can’t quite pick up where she left off. She has no friends, her little sister resents her and doesn’t even get te lead at the school musical. Well, she adjusts eventually but it’s a lot of fun getting there.

5. Rumor Has It by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephan

If anyone has seen the 2000s classic Mean Girls, then you know how devasting slam books can be. Not that Audrey intends for it to be that way. She simply wanted to know if the new girl would be willing to become friends. But as slam books are wont to do, it spirals out of her control. Says a lot about friendship and priorities.

The imprint also spun off its own spooky imprint called Poison Apples focusing on supernatural tales but I never got into it. I was more of a Creepover fan.