Friday, February 5, 2010

ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro


In ABC’s of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro, Parker is a going to be a junior in high school and is looking forward to all the rewards that come with being an upperclassman. However, one week before school starts, everything falls apart. The soccer coach posts the list of players who will be playing on the varsity team this year and Parker’s name is not listed. She discovers that she is one of only two juniors who are on the JV team. To make matters worse, Parker’s popular best friends tell her that they will not be hanging out with her this fall because she needs to spend time “bonding” with her freshmen and sophomore teammates.


Feeling isolated, embarrassed and left out, Parker decides that making the varsity soccer team will fix all of her problems. So she works out a plan with her college age brother and his best friend the fantastically handsome Luke. "The Plan" involves Luke purchasing a kiss from Parker at the Sports Fair kissing booth. But Luke tells her that in order for the plan to work, the kiss must look real, so she needs to learn how to kiss.


Enter the good-looking freshman from across the street. Over the summer, Travis has grown several inches to over 6 feet tall and he has filled out so that he doesn’t look like a freshman and Parker learns that he is only 364 days younger than she is. Travis also worked at a camp this summer where he learned "lots" of kissing "techniques." Travis convinces her that her plan will only work if he gives her kissing lessons.


When she and Travis are caught together, Parker takes lots of teasing at school and this makes her resolve to make her plan work even stronger. The fact that Travis and Parker’s fathers are having a feud adds to the problems with the situation and gives the story a Romeo and Juliet feel. Of course, Parker learns what is really important but the romance that develops along the way is a fun read.

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