Is Kissing a Girl Who Smokes Like Licking an Ashtray? - Softcover

Powell, Randy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0374436282 ISBN 13: 9780374436285

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

Meet Biff: weird, wild-haired, recovering pinball addict. He's eighteen but looks more like fourteen, and it drives him crazy. He's never had a girlfriend, can't talk to girls without freezing up, and isn't quite sure about the human race in general. Biff's immediate concern, however, is Tommie, the girl he's had a crush on for the past twenty-three months. Maybe it's about time he got up the nerve to say more to her than "Hi."
Then Biff meets Heidi: beautiful, smart-mouthed, cigarette smoker. She's here visiting her aunt in Seattle because she's been suspended from her high school for who-knows-what reason. Biff has never found himself getting such a kick out of being with someone, even though she often drives him crazy.
This is the romantic, comic story of two quirky, imperfect people who couldn't possibly fit into each other's lives, but do, sort of.

About this title

About the Author:

Randy Powell is the author of many books for young adults, most recently Three Clams and an Oyster, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A light teen comedy about a shy, underdeveloped senior and his rebellious younger cousin, who meet and loosen each other up. Biff has driven past classmate Tommie Isaac's house 184 times but can't work up the nerve to say more that ``hi'' to her; Heidi, suspended for mouthing off and needing a break from her foster parents, is spending a week with her aunt and uncle. At first she looks on Biff only as a convenient way to sneak out for a smoke, but as the two spend time together it becomes plain that his reliability and common sense strike a chord in her; meanwhile, Biff is dazzled by Heidi's daring attitude and pronounced mood swings. The adult cast is appropriately quirky but also faintly tragic--Heidi's father is a burned-out writer; Biff's uncle is a talented English teacher who has sold out and entered law school; Biff's sister, 26, is a wealthy but driven entrepreneur. An engaging, readable story featuring razor-sharp dialogue, nicely articulated chemistry between the characters, and a happy ending. (Fiction. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0374436282
• ISBN 13: 9780374436285
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208