editor Aimee Friedman « Nerdy Chicks Rule

Scholastic Senior Editor Aimee Friedman signing her book Sea Change.

A self-professed nerdy chick, Aimee Friedman is not only a brilliant Senior Editor at Scholastic, but she is also a New York Times bestselling author. Aimee has amazing vision on how to arrange words in a way that makes good better and better best. Maybe this is because she knows a lot more words than the average chick! In addition to being fluent in French, Aimee also speaks a bit of Russian, Hungarian, and Yiddish. I was amazed at the insight Aimee had when it came to my manuscript and I’m so glad that my book was on the receiving end of her brain power!

What is your favorite way to flaunt your brain power?

I’m a huge trivia buff! I kick butt and take names at Trivial Pursuit (could be my friends find me slightly annoying when this happens, but what can you do?). I’m a big fan of brain-y games in general, whether it’s Apples to Apples or Taboo (all games I highly recommend for nerdy chicks everywhere!). It’s also a lifelong dream of mine to appear on Jeopardy! Maybe some day…

Tell us about a time when nerdiness turned out to be an advantage.

I was a straight-A student in junior high, a time when it wasn’t always the coolest thing to be the best in the class (in fact, I remember some fellow classmates of mine, who were actually intelligent, pretending to be bad students, which infuriated me even then!). In eighth grade, I took an exam that allowed me entrance to the Bronx High School of Science, a fantastic public school in New York City that seriously values brain power! I remember the feeling of relief, upon starting ninth grade and learning that hey—in this school, nerdy can equal cool. It was a great experience.

If you could give your middle school or high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Things will come to you when you are ready for them (be they boyfriends, certain experiences, certain achievements). Also: keep writing!

Tell us about a fictitious chick you admire and why you admire her.

Well, I may be a bit biased, but I am a big fan of Kara McAllister, star of THE BOY PROJECT. She is smart and motivated but also a fun, sweet, relatable character who shows us that you can be super-brainy and still daydream about boys (and end up with a terrific boy!). (Awww, thanks Aimee! It didn’t cross my mind that you might say that… maybe because Kara seems so real to me that I forget she’s fictitious!)

Do you have a favorite female role model?

My mom. She is super-smart. She speaks five languages fluently (for real!) and reads more books in one week than I probably can in a year. She’s also, most importantly, an awesome, caring, and encouraging mom. Definitely my inspiration!

Do you have a favorite hobby? Details please!

Well, my favorite hobby is writing! The problem is, I worry that it can’t actually be a hobby when it’s also my job. (In addition to my job as an editor, which I also love). Still, writing is my favorite way to pass the time, and in many ways, that’s what one should hope for in life—getting to do for work what they also do for love.