SuitabookConfessions of a Serial Kisser
Wendelin Van Draanen
- Reading
- Before reading, acknowledge that kissing and reputation are central subjects. Afterwards, invite discussion of expectations, friendship and privacy; pause if the public-wall incident or relationship conflict feels uncomfortable.
- Themes
- Romantic expectations and reality: Evangeline pursues a spectacular, life-changing kiss after becoming absorbed in a romance novel and a self-help book. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Privacy and public reputation: Someone writes Evangeline’s name and number on bathroom walls, turning a personal matter into a public one. The event is presented as an escalating complication, but its seriousness, consequences and narrative judgement are unclear.
- Friendship and competing romantic interests: The boy Evangeline has just kissed turns out to be her best friend’s new crush. The premise creates a friendship dilemma, but does not establish blame, betrayal, reconciliation or whose perspective receives emphasis.
- Worth knowing
- Pay attention to Evangeline’s experiences of privacy and friendship as the kissing quest develops. The bathroom-wall incident and the best friend’s crush may merit a check-in about embarrassment and social pressure.