Dork Diaries

 

Dork Diaries is the series were Max first got introduced in Dork Diaries 10: Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter as Brandon's friend. Dork Diaries follows Nikki Maxwell, her bff's Chloe and Zoe and her crush, Brandon.

Characters
Nikki J. Maxwell


 * The main character of the series and a new student at Westchester Country Day. Because Nikki feels completely out of place among all of the wealthy, designer clad students, she spends most of her time alone writing in her diary. She despises her locker neighbor (and enemy), MacKenzie Hollister. She's the most unpopular girl at her school (only slightly above the gym shower slime). Her secret is that she only attends the school because her dad arranged a scholarship as part of his contract as the bug exterminator. The stores she shops at are discount department ones such as Target. She has a crush on Brandon Roberts. Her art skills are well above average and won WCD's art competition with the help of her friends in the first book. She is extremely bad at math. Nikki has a 6-year-old sister named Brianna. She is best friends with Chloe and Zoey and goes to art camp every summer. She has brown hair that is usually in pigtails and is left-handed.

MacKenzie Hollister


 * The most popular girl at Westchester Country Day and the leader of the CCP (Cute, Cool & Popular) Clique. She has a locker next to Nikki’s. MacKenzie always wears top designer outfits, carries expensive bags, and wears a lot of lip gloss. She, too, has a crush on Brandon Roberts and tries to flirt with him by twirling her hair whenever possible. MacKenzie does not like Nikki and calls her a dork. She talks behind Nikki's back and tries to wreck her life with the help of her best friend, Jessica. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and an annoying little sister named Amanda. Mackenzie is wealthy, spoiled, and self-centered. She entered the avant-garde art competition and lost.

Chloe Christina Garcia


 * Nikki’s best friend. Chloe is an avid reader and loves young adult romances. She is a self-proclaimed expert on guys and dating and works in the library with Nikki and Zoey. She is described as somewhat prissy and socially outcast. Her parents own a software company. She is the fifth most unpopular girl at Westchester Country Day.

Zoeysha "Zoey" Ebony Franklin


 * Zoey is Nikki’s other best friend. She is super smart and also an avid reader, loves self-help books, and is a self-proclaimed expert in psychology. Zoey works in the school library with Nikki and Chloe. Her mother is an attorney and her father is a record executive. Her parents are divorced. Zoey's the third most unpopular girl in the school.

Brandon Roberts


 * Nikki's and MacKenzie's crush. He is not as impressed by MacKenzie as everybody else-it was an obvious note that he has feelings for Nikki more. In the second book, he asks her to the dance (see above). In the seventh book, he kissed Nikki. In the books, he is described as "super cute" with wavy hair and blue eyes. He is shy around Nikki. Brandon is a photographer for Westchester Middle School's newspaper, and the Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, it is revealed Brandon plays the drums and joins Nikki's band, "Dorkalicious". His parents died sometime before the series and he lives with his grandparents who work in Fuzzy Friends. He loves working there and being with the pets.

Brianna Lynn Maxwell


 * Nikki’s bratty little 6-year-old sister. Brianna is afraid of the tooth fairy because Nikki told her the tooth fairy collects children's teeth to make dentures for old people. She has a friend named Miss Penelope (which is her own hand with a face drawn on it with an ink pen). She thinks Brandon has cooties.

Jessica Hunter


 * The second highest-ranking CCPs at WCD and MacKenzie's best friend. She also dislikes Nikki and is more than super mean to her. Jessica has blonde hair and loves the color pink. Her last name (Hunter) was revealed in Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary

Violet Baker


 * The most popular girl out of the most unpopular people. When she signs up to run for chairperson of WCD's Halloween dance, she loses to MacKenzie Hollister and signs up for clean-up committee instead. When MacKenzie quits, Violet becomes head of the entertainment committee. She has a huge iTunes collection and is in a wheelchair. She appears in the second and third book. In Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not So Talented Pop Star, it is revealed Violet plays the piano.

Theodore L. Swagmire III


 * One of the unpopular boys in WCD and one of Nikki's friends. He has a big crush on Mackenzie. He was later really happy to hear the bit of news that MacKenzie's date was the lead singer of the band, (as he was the lead singer) especially when he wanted to ask MacKenzie but was sure she would reject him. He is known for being the school nerd, and in Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not So Talented Pop Star, it is revealed he plays guitar. He hopes to one day go to Hogwarts.

Marcy Simms


 * Nikki meets Marcy through her post as Miss-Know-It-All. Marcy sends an anonymous letter to Miss Know-It-All, saying that she's new, being bullied by some other girls, and can't find friends. Nikki tells her to hang in there, and keeps a look out for the new girl. She soon finds it's Marcy, and invites her to Brandon's birthday party, where Marcy has a great time. Marcy is MacKenzie's assistant fashion director for the newspaper, but is bullied by MacKenzie, and is deemed to be unfashionable by the latter.

Reception, awards, and honors
Kirkus Reviews' review of Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life praises the humor and ability to reflect upon early adolescence experiences well, saying "Nikki’s journey of self-discovery will appeal to preadolescent readers struggling to find their places in the world."

As of August 2012, the Dork Diaries series has spent 43 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list in the Children’s Series category.

Book 1


 * Dork Diaries has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 42 weeks and the USA Today Best Sellers list for 7 weeks. It was awarded the 2010 Children’s Choice Book of the Year Award for the 5th/6th grade division. On February 10, 2011, it was nominated as Book of the Year by the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards.

Book 2


 * Dork Diaries: Party Time has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 42 weeks and the USA Today Best Sellers list for 12 weeks. Books 1 and 2 appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list simultaneously for 17 weeks, with the former peaking at #4 and the latter at #2.

Book 3


 * Dork Diaries:Pop Star has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 28 weeks and the USA Today Best Sellers list for 28 weeks.

Book 3 1/2


 * Dork Diaries: How To Dork Your Diary has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 14 weeks.

The eighth book, Tales of a Not-So-Happily Ever After, won the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children award.

Film adaptation
In March 2014, Summit Entertainment acquired the movie rights to the series. Karen Rosenfelt is in negotiations to produce.