Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Rosie Goldglitt is a never-been-kissed, hopeless romantic. Her mother has a new boyfriend. So why can't Rosie attract the attentions of the cutest boy in the seventh grade, Robbie Romano? Is it because she's two inches taller than he is? Is it her horrible name? Or is she simply a dork? If only she could be more like her rival, the perfect and popular Mary Katz, then maybe Robbie would notice her. As Rosie navigates the ups and downs of adolescence, she eagerly anticipates the experience of a first kiss - when she's not completely grossed out at the thought of it. But by the time the big dance rolls around, Rosie manages to surprise herself, in more ways than one.
This perceptive and funny story captures the bittersweetness and euphoria of growing up, the messiness of having a crush, and how sometimes the most unexpected things in life are the most enjoyable.
Children's Literature
Twelve-year-old Rosie Goldglitt has decided that the diary she received from her father to explore her feelings about her parents' divorce will be better used as a "kissing diary." Her primary goal is to capture the attention (and, therefore, the lips) of Robbie Romano, the cutest boy in her seventh-grade class. Of course, that is not going to be easy. Rosie seems to attract Robbie's scorn more often than his interest, and she never knows how to interpret his actions. What pre-teen girl does? Rosie's angst is sure to reassure any girl who is just beginning to be interested in boys. Judith Caseley's portrayal of the social pressures that Rosie faces among her peers seems accurate. The story's tidy happy ending is appropriately foreshadowed throughout the text—and, pleasingly, does not involve Robbie Romano. A note about formatting: In spite of the book's title, this is not just a diary. Most of the text is recounted in a typical, third-person narrative style; only a couple of paragraphs at the end of each chapter are written as from Rosie's diary.