SAT’s, the prom, college admissions and choosing that perfect outfit to impress your crush should be what’s on the mind of a typical high school girl. Rachel Aboukhair, however, is far from typical. Interviews and book signings are the current focus in her life. At 16, this Texas native has published a book, “The Grumpy Girl’s Guide To Good Manners.”

“Getting the book published was surreal,” says Rachel. “From editing to the actual publication was a long process, so I don't think it really hit me until I went on my first book tour and did my first TV interview.”

Rachel was in town at the end of April for a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Federal Way. (Full disclosure: She also happens to be my second cousin; I had not met her until this visit.) A week before the event, I picked up the book and read it. Just as the title says, she is grumpy. However, she is also very entertaining.

Growing up, Aboukhair says she was always fairly grumpy. “Unfortunately I don't have a more sympathetic way of thinking. I think in satire, it's one of my many faults.”

Rachel’s mother, Ragida Aboukhair, thought that Rachel could use some help becoming more sociable. A week-long etiquette camp run by a lady named Deborah King was the remedy. While at the camp Rachel observed and analyzed.

The curriculum consisted of learning how to shake hands, eat properly, dance with men and put on makeup -- all topics that Rachel had no problem recanting, and poking fun at.

As a homeschool project, Rachel wrote two pages of the book every day. This is when her satirical way of thinking paid off. She says, “I've always loved writing and I always wrote random things just for self-expression.”

In her book she talks about constantly wanting to leave the camp. She makes fun of some aspects of the curriculum while entertaining the reader with funny anecdotes.

Publication was unexpected for the Aboukhairs. Her mother says her reaction consisted of “shock, disbelief, elation, thankfulness -- in that order.” As her mother, she knew that Rachel had always been a writer. “She wrote astounding poetry growing up; she also was always writing stories in her spare time; so I knew she could write but I had no idea it would lead to a published book.”

Being a published author has not granted Rachel any special treatment. “Unfortunately people treat me the same. For some reason they don't take ‘I’m a published author’ as an excuse for doing anything I want,” she says, exhibiting her trademark sarcasm.

At the Barnes and Noble book-signing event, a crowd sat awaiting the self-proclaimed grumpy girl. When she arrived she walked straight up to the stage and began speaking as if she does it every day.

Rachel was accompanied by “Mrs.Davenport” from her book, who is really Deborah King, president of Final Touch Finishing School. King is also a Federal Way native. She, along with a handful of others from the Association of Image Consultants International, have declared May as International Civility Awareness Month.

King explains: “The Civility Counts Project gathers proclamations around the world and presents them at our annual conference each May. I am the chair of the Proclamation process and the Civility Star award.”

Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest attended the signing and presented King with a civility proclamation. King also used this time to bestow Priest with the AICI Civility Star Award.

Rachel’s book ties in nicely with Civility Month. “The idea was to highlight civility and to use that as an opportunity to promote good manners ... which Rachel's book sort of does,” King said, poking fun at the grumpy girl.

Currently, Rachel is working on her second book. “It's going to be a survival guide on high school [and] teenage years--another sarcastic edition to the ‘Grumpy Girl’ family,” she explains.

To order Rachel’s book go to Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. For information about Final Touch Finishing School visit www.finaltouchschool.com.

Click here www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkOcgO7FPAI to see a clip of Rachel at her Federal Way book signing.

RACHEL ZAKHARY is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory