Kissing Tennessee by Kathi Appelt

Appelt, Kathi. Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2000.

Summary

At Dogwood Junior High School the cafeteria is filled with paper moons and tons of glitter ready for the eighth-grade dance. Readers will love the short stories about Mason and Carrie not having the courage to ask each other to dance to Becca locking herself in the bathroom stall after a terrible even has happened. In these moving tales Appelt will captivate her audience with these unforgettable students and their tales of the Stardust Dance.

Personal Opinions/Reactions

With the start of this book is an invitation to the Stardust Dance, and readers will be ready to hear all the details given after reading the enchanted words of…

"For this one night, this one room is no longer the Dogwood Junior High cafeteria, not at all. It's the Stardust Dance. You're invited."

Now, that the audience is intrigued with the dance we will hear about the participants. Including Tawny who hopes no one will notice her borrowed shoes. Also, Mary Sarah whose life at home is hard, but she will tie a ribbon in her hair and put on the forbidden lipstick. Readers will love to hear of the unforgettable Annie P. Peggy Lee is enchanted by the magic of her childhood beau Tennessee's kisses, bringing out the great title. Between these remarkable stories and more, readers of all ages will eat this book up, and the amazing thing is that it can be read quickly. With a wide range of story topics, there is at least one that a person can relate with in one way or another. Between tears for some and joy for others, the worst part about this book is that we do not know what happens with each of their lives after the dance, but that is point of a short story.

I would recommend this book to grades six and up, especially to our readers who are indecisive about reading.

Reviews

School Library Journal: “This collection will spark conversation in contemporary literature discussions, will quietly unsettle readers, and will elevate the quality of short-story collections.”

Amazon.com: “Kissing Tennessee, Kathi Appelt's first book for older readers, is a nice mix of frothiness and substance. Appelt humorously and accurately describes the making and breaking of the eighth-grade heart, while still tackling weighty issues like date rape, same-sex crushes, and family violence. Best of all, the entire short novel can be devoured in one study-hall period. This is a great choice for reluctant readers.”