The ABC's of Kissing Boys

April 1, 2009
Gr 6-10-Parker Stanhope only wants one thingto be on her school's varsity soccer team with all of her friends. What she actually gets is another year on junior varsity surrounded by freshmen and the brush-off from her so-called friends. In response to this depressing series of events, Parker comes up with a foolproof plan to get back on the team that involves her older brother's friend, an annual carnival, $300, and a kiss that the whole school will see. Along the way she meets Tristan, her cuter than cute neighbor, who, after hearing her desperate situation, offers to give her kissing lessons to make that big final kiss look and seem totally believable. As you'd expect, these "lessons" turn into much more than just a teaching situation. Unfortunately, this storygirl ends up liking the guy she least expected to with some madcap adventures along the wayhas been told before. Parker's voice doesn't come across as real; she sounds more like how adults think teenagers would talk instead of how they actually do. For a better "I can't believe I'm falling for this guy!" book, suggest Robin Benway's "Audrey, Wait!" (Penguin, 2008). An additional purchase for libraries with a well-used chick-lit section."Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR"

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