Kissing Tennessee: And Other Stories From The Stardust Dance
					Appelt, Kathi. 2000. KISSING TENNESSEE: AND OTHER STORIES FROM THE STARDUST DANCE. New York: Harcourt.
					“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.”
		All graduating eighth graders have gathered one last time at the Dogwood Junior High Stardust Dance. The room has been transformed with paper moons and constellations and glitter everywhere. The students have not only come in their pretty dresses and handsome outfits, but have come to the dance with their stories to share.      KISSING TENNESSEE is a collection of eight short stories; each one about a different student at the dance. Each student has his or her own problems and shares them with the readers. “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” (Amazon.com review). The majority of stories are told in third person, but one story is told in first person and one story is told in second person. The varying viewpoints allow readers to relate to the array of characters.      “The various moods are caught with immediacy and intimacy, and the resolutions occur in precious little time” (School Library Journal review). Each story is a short, easy read and is not dependent on the other stories in the book. However, the timing of the stories is written chronologically so the whole dance is covered in the book. A poem, “Invitation,” introduces the book and explains how the cafeteria has been revamped into a magical dance room; and a poem, “Midnight,” concludes the book and views the scene that is left over after a magical night.      While all of the characters are at the dance, the stories are mostly flashbacks of events that led up to this moment at the dance. For example, “The Notes Between the Notes” is about a boy and girl who are complete opposites but are attracted to each other. Carrie and Mason want to ask each other to dance, but are unaware of the other’s feelings. Readers are then privy to the events that occurred earlier in the school year that allowed Carrie and Mason to realize their feelings.      “It was just about time for the very last dance. It was almost done. Just a few moments left before the lights came back on and everything would go back to being the same” (page 90). A last dance for wishes, a last dance for dreams, a last chance for the students to share their stories at the Stardust Dance. Hubert, Jennifer. Amazon.com review. Available at www.amazon.com. Follos, Alison. 2000. School Library Journal. New York: Reed Business Information, Inc. Available at www.amazon.com.                                                   YA Literature Home Page