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A matter of attitude

Hayden. - Author

A fashion-minded teenager pursues a school show-director role while juggling creative ambition, peer competition and a crush. A paid offer to influence the contest brings a difficult choice into her story.

More about this book

America's Next Top DesignerFashionista with the fiercest style sense and head-turning clothes? That's Angela Jenkins. Even though her cutting-edge designs and graphic legwear sometimes draw criticism from her peers, Angela knows that one day she will be a top designer, and her best friend at Kressler High, Adrian Gomez, is her biggest supporter. But at fifteen, how is anyone (like the extremely cute JaRoli Spencer) supposed to check her out when she's stuck working at her family's Caribbean-style restaurant all the time? The answer: getting elected director of her school's holiday fashion show. But Angela's got designer-clad competition: the very popular Karen Frasier, who has it all--including JaRoli. So when Shayla Mercer, the girl with the toughest street rep, offers to make sure Angela wins--for a fee--Angela says yes. And she learns that the price of popularity can be too high.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Popularity· ChallengedAmbition· ChallengedPeer competition· Challenged

Consider

Social conflict

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

popularityambitionpeer competition

Fiction

Themes in Context

Popularity and costly choices

Angela accepts Shayla’s offer to secure her victory in the school fashion show in exchange for a fee; the premise says she learns popularity can come at too high a price.

How the book presents it: The premise frames the bargain and the pursuit of popularity as carrying a cost, rather than presenting the offer as an uncomplicated route to success.

Talk about: What does Angela decide matters more than winning or being popular?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The story brings together self-expression through fashion and the pull of status at school, with Angela’s choices carrying consequences. It may suit a reader interested in ambition and friendship under social pressure.

What Deserves Attention

Peer criticism of Angela’s designs and competition for the show-director position feature in the premise. Shayla’s offer involves paying for help to secure the role.

A Conversation Worth Having

What makes Angela accept Shayla’s offer, and what does she come to understand about popularity and the choices made to gain it?

Reading Approach

Use the fashion-show contest as a starting point for talking about ambition and fair competition. Ask what options Angela might have considered before accepting help that comes with a fee.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Popularity and costly choices: The nature of the fee, the consequences of the arrangement and the ending are not established.

A Matter Of Attitude - Hayden - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Popularity and costly choices

A Matter Of Attitude by Hayden | Open Library