Appelt, Kathi. Kissing Tennessee, and other stories from the Stardust Dance.APPELT, Kathi. Kissing Tennessee, and other stories from the Stardust star·dust n. 1. A dreamlike, romantic, or uncritical sense of well-being. 2. A cluster of stars too distant to be seen individually, resembling a dimly luminous cloud of dust. Not in scientific use. 3. Dance. Harcourt. 118p. c2000. 0-15-205127-9. $5.95. J This magical collection of short stories presents the reader with the experiences of junior high, complete with the angst and the crushes, along with some of the darker issues that pre-teens and teens face. Dogwood dogwood or cornel (kôr`nəl), shrub or tree of the genus Cornus, chiefly of north temperate and tropical mountain regions, characteristically having an inconspicuous flower surrounded by large, showy bracts which Junior High School is hosting the yearly Stardust Dance, a night when the ordinary school cafeteria is decorated like a glittering wonderland. Each story introduces us to different individuals with unique tales. These tales deal with myriad problems, varying in severity from being afraid to ask one's secret crush to dance to abusive parents, questioning one's sexual identity, and being a victim of tape. Written masterfully from the junior high point of view, the collection offer perspective on these confusing times, hopefully making readers more empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. in the process. Appelt manages to blend these stories together into a believable, palpable world where each student's life is somehow meshed with the others through the common link of the Stardust Dance. Through her words she takes the reader on brief emotional rides, some humorous, others heart-wrenching. Though many of these stories are dramatic (and sometimes horrifying, they are all bound up in a message of hope and optimism, making us believe that the Stardust Dance is truly an enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. evening. Erin Darr Libn., Sill M.S., Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Falls, city (1990 pop. 48,950), Summit co., NE Ohio, on the Cuyahoga River; inc. 1836. On its course through the city the river drops 220 ft (67 m) through a series of falls and rapids. , OH |
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