Confessions of a Serial Kisser [Kindle Edition]

Wendelin Van Draanen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8–11—When 16-year-old Evangeline discovers her mother's secret stash of romance novels, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to one title: The Crimson Kiss. Although she dismisses the other books as trash, Evangeline is swept away by this story and dreams of finding a kiss as passionate as the one described in the novel. Inspired by a second book of her mother's—this one a self-help tome—the teen decides to take action: she will make her fantasy a reality. When her guerrilla kissing missions leave her with a dubious reputation and land her on the wrong side of her best friend, she starts to reevaluate her search. With a quick pace enforced by short, episodic chapters that conclude with mild hyperbole or romantic suspense, Van Draanen's novel is compulsively readable. While Evangeline's determination to receive the perfect kiss seems a little over-the-top, her growing realization that her behavior is a reaction to her parents' recent separation and their attempt at reconciliation tempers this aspect of the tale. The novel doesn't end on a typical romance-novel note; instead, Evangeline finds a nonromantic outlet for her passion and begins to rethink her goals.—Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After watching her parents’ marriage “implode” over the previous months, Evangeline feels cynical about love until she finds her mother’s stash of romance and self-help books. Tired of lamenting her parents’ relationship, she sets out to find new adventures, and a steamy novel, A Crimson Kiss, gives her a focus: she wants to experience a perfect “crimson kiss” of her own. Spontaneous smooches with fellow classmates are far from heart-stopping, though, and as stories of her “serial-kissing” exploits circulate, Evangeline faces hard realities, even as her parents’ tentative reconciliation causes more confusion at home. The hot-pink cover and the hunt-for-romance plotline suggest chick lit, but Van Draanen moves beyond formula with her poignant view of a teen unmoored by parental separation. The boldness and naïveté with which Evangeline embarks on her kissing quest may strike some as implausible. Still, the well-drawn family and friendship dynamics, along with Evangeline’s strong, entertaining first-person voice, will pull plenty of readers, who will root for their heroine as she begins to piece together a grounded, grown-up life. Grades 8-11. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 270 KB
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2008)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0018ZS4JU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

More About the Author

"Through writing, I open up my heart and soul in ways I never could in everyday life. The joy, the pain, the wonder and loneliness I felt in growing up, meld into stories which I hope will help kids believe in themselves and have compassion for those around them."--Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen is the winner of the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children's Mystery Book for Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes is a 2003 Edgar Award nominee.


Visit Wendelin Van Draanen's Web site at www.wendelinvandraanen.com for the lastest on The Gecko and Sticky, Sammy Keyes, Shredderman, and more!

How in the world did I wind up writing a book about a kleptomaniacal, talking gecko lizard? I'm the first to admit-talking animals are not my thing. First person, realistic fiction-that's what I like. And yet, after Sticky appeared as a sidekick television character in my Shredderman series and uttered his first "Holy guaco-tacarole!" I was hooked. He's so funny. And so full of mischief.
I always develop a backstory for my characters to get to know them. Even if they're secondary characters, I have to understand their background and motivations before I let them into the story. The premise of the third Shredderman book (Meet the Gecko) is that a television crew comes to town to shoot an episode, and Shredderman helps out the star of the show. Not wanting to deal with the legal complications of using a real television show, I made up my own: The Gecko and Sticky. In the process, I came up with the hero (Dave Sanchez-a boy who has the "superpower" of being able to walk up walls, and is known as the Gecko), the sidekick (Sticky who is, as you already know, a talking gecko with . . . h'hem, sticky fingers), the villain (the deadly, diabolical, and definitely demented Damien Black), and Damien's sidekicks (the Bandito Brothers, who are, in fact, not brothers, but a thieving mariachi band).
It was definitely wilder than anything I'd come up with before, but hey-it was just a made-up TV show, right?
Ah, how diabolically infectious made-up TV shows can be!
Sticky, you see, got under my skin. His "Ay-ay-ay"s and his "What the jalapeno was that?" and his "You cut me to the quick, senor" enchanted me, and I was sorry when his role in the Shredderman books was over.
After the Shredderman quartet was complete, I began getting lots of fan mail from kids (and teachers) asking me to please write more Shredderman books. It was tempting, because I love Nolan and the gang. But I'd completed my mission with the quartet; so instead, I started writing The Gecko and Sticky.
My first attempt resulted in an over 200-page manuscript. That was closer to a Sammy Keyes novel than a Shredderman book. So I hacked it up, threw it out, and started all over.
My next try had me at 150 pages-still too long, and something about it wasn't quite right. So I chucked it and asked myself what in the world I was thinking, writing in the voice of a lizard.
But then on a flight from New York to California, I started hearing a voice. It wasn't my voice. Or the guy snoring in the seat beside me. It was, you know, a voice. One in my head.
Yeah, we writers hear them, and although we will almost certainly deny it if you press us about it, we also listen. It's how I wrote Swear to Howdy; how Bryce appeared in Flipped; where Holly's poems came from in Runaway . . . and it's how the narrator took over the storytelling for The Gecko and Sticky.
It's a man's voice in my head. (Okay, I concede that I might need some help.) But he's funny as all get-out, and I like to listen to him. He's the voice of someone who loves the art of storytelling; of someone who will hold a child's wide-eyed attention as he shares the wild antics of a boy and his mischievous gecko; of someone I'd plead, "Just one more chapter, please?"
So I hope that explains it, because I really must go. He's talking to me again and I've got to get back to Dave and Sticky. They are, after all, in the midst of some deep, diabolical doo-doo . . .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great premise, lacking in execution, January 1, 2009

By 

The Well-Read Child "http://wellreadchild.blo... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Serial Kisser (Hardcover)

In Confessions of a Serial Kisser, Evangeline has always been a "good girl," receiving good grades, hanging out with "good friends." She now lives with her mother in a tiny apartment having moved out of her childhood home after her parents' separation. One day she's cleaning in her mother's room and finds a box of romance novels under her mother's bed. One of these books, A Crimson Kiss, draws her in, and she sets upon a mission to get her own crimson kiss. This mission soon becomes an obsession as she kisses nearly every boy who crosses her path, including her best friend's boyfriend. As her reputation and relationship with her friend are damaged, she's coming to terms with her father's betrayal and his attempt at reconciliation with both her and her mother. Her life seems to be spiraling out of control as she searches for her crimson kiss.

While it's a good idea to expose teenagers to classic, thought-provoking literature, to truly make them lifelong readers, they need to have fun with reading. Give them the opportunity to read fun books that interest them because if reading always seems like homework, they will quickly get turned off. Confessions of a Serial Kisser is a light-hearted book whose title and pink cover with the big red lip print will beg girls to pull it off the shelf. Though it is funny at times and a fast read, its flaws will prevent it from becoming as well loved as Van Draanen's Flipped.

Many readers will find Evangeline annoying. She kisses boys without thinking of the repercussions, and she's super quick to judge others when she herself is not a model of good behavior. Robbie Marshall is a "dumb jock," Eddie Pasco is a "stoner," and she's downright cruel to poor Roper Harding who has obvious personal hygiene issues. Speaking of Eddie Pasco, there's this weird, overwhelming and forced anti-drug messaging in book. Eddie is one of Evangeline's "victims," and when she realizes he's a stoner, he becomes the scum of the earth while, Izzy, the creepy record store owner seems like a likely stoner himself. It almost felt like a cheesy PSA at times.

There were also some awkward passages that didn't really seem to fit. Evangeline is a rock 'n roll girl, and it's rock 'n roll that helps heal her relationship with her father in the end. She identifies with music and listens to it constantly, which is a truly believable characteristic. However, there are times in the book when Evangeline is listening to music, and she throws out the name of the band, the album, and all of the songs. It interrupts the flow and seems more like Van Draanen's, (a professed fan of rock 'n roll as indicated in the jacket flap) homage to her favorite bands. Also, the fact that Evangeline seems to be a self-taught master hair stylist is also a little unbelievable, and that she has to "babe herself up" to get guys is also a disappointing.

To be a truly good book, the reader really has to identify with the main character, and many girls won't be able to do this with Evangeline. While the concept is entertaining, the execution of a believable, likable character is not there.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars are you crazed for a crimson kiss?, November 8, 2010

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Serial Kisser (Kindle Edition)

in this book, evangeline bianca logan is cleaning the house when she finds her mom's stash of drug store romance novels. out of curiosity she flips through them, calling them trash except for one, a crimson kiss. her mom has been recently divorced so she found a self help book lying on the counter. it says to see and then live her fantasy.evangeline then sets outs on a wacky journey to get her crimson kiss. there are many twists and turns and unforgetable characters tha truelly make this novel great and i suggest it as an excellent read. it is very delightful and entertaining

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confessions of a Serial Kisser, February 26, 2009

By 

Valerie (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Serial Kisser (Hardcover)

Evangeline Bianca Logan wants her crimson kiss after reading a book she found in her mom's room called The Crimson Kiss. She thinks this will be easy, so she basically starts kissing random boys, hoping they'll be her crimson kiss. What Evangeline didn't expect was all the drama that comes with kissing and boys.

Confessions of a Serial Kisser is a seriously fast read, and it's really enjoyable. All Evangeline wants is to feel the passion from a kiss. Like a lot of people, she doesn't think things through and doesn't realize bad things can happen even when you have good intentions.