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Summary
Summary
This is how Jane's whirlwind four-month relationship with Elliot comes to an end--in the walk-in fridge, at the bagel shop. with Valerie. Jane is distraught, and vows to never get involved with another boy. Why bother when there are a thousand reasons why it will never be worth it. But there are more surprises in store for Jane this year, and one of them--a surprisingly cute one of them--lives right next door.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-When Jane catches Elliot kissing Valerie at Seymour's Bagels where they all work, it's the end of their four-month relationship and the beginning of her list of why not to kiss a boy. Each chapter is built around a humorous reason, but they end at 44. Elliot was Jane's first boyfriend. She mostly listened to him talk about fencing and worried about how far she should go with him sexually. After they break up, he goes to work for a chain store that wants to put Seymour's out of business. Although her divorced mother sometimes seems anti-male, Jane suspects she has her own relationship as well. When the teen suggests decorating the cafe's float for the annual football season Kick-Off Parade with a Wild West shoot-out, the manager loves the idea. This leads to a scene in which everyone but Jane couples up in the garage as they build the float. The parade itself is a sitcomlike disaster, but Jane manages to begin a new relationship, predictably with Ashok, the genius next door. Quirky but two-dimensional characters abound, from John of Very-Nice Construction who has been painting the dining room for months; to Arthur, Jane's straight male friend who wears skirts; and Mr. Black, who thinks that flavored bagels are an abomination. This novel is light fun but about as subtle as an onion bagel. Purchase if you need humor that junior-high girls will eat up.-Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Any girl who has caught her boyfriend cheating will feel an immediate camaraderie with 16-year-old bagel shop employee Jane, who witnesses her boyfriend and co-worker Elliot kissing another girl in the walk-in cooler. The incident, which results in the couple?s break-up and Elliot?s getting fired, inspires Jane to create a list of reasons why it?s best to "never to kiss a boy." ("It will be my life?s work," she declares.) Appearing at the beginning of each chapter, her reasons introduce various uncomfortable or thought-provoking episodes in her life that revolve around members of the opposite sex. Freeman?s (Who Stole Halloween?) first-person narrative, full of wit and empathy for adolescent angst, brings to life a host of comic scenarios and memorable characters. Arthur, a boy from work, prefers wearing skirts to trousers, and Ashok, the boy genius next door, is a science whiz and inventor but can?t figure out how to make a cup of tea. A subplot involving a heated rivalry with the new bagel shop in town adds twists to the plot and evokes an authentic and amusing image of small-town life. Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
Jane swears off boys after seeing her boyfriend kiss another girl. She feels worthless and rejected, though it's clear her ex is a creep. Jane's divorced mother, never-married grandmother, and caring friends (all underutilized characters) help her get over it. The whole thing--from why the relationship ended to how Jane moves on--has been done before, but many readers will relate to Jane. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Sixteen-year-old Jane has had it with boys. After she discovers her boyfriend Eliot making out with another girl in the cooler at the bagel store where they both work, she decides that she will pen her manifesto--"a thousand reasons never to kiss a boy." Jane recounts the relationship's past occurrences and stumbles upon its undoing, which should be no surprise to the reader; though Jane is blind to Eliot's glaring faults, even a marginally perceptive reader will immediately pick up his less-than-honorable intentions. Jane's relationship with Eliot is fairly typical; Eliot is a stereotypical teenaged male character who is only interested in himself and "one thing." Jane struggles to make the choice to bend to peer pressure and "do it," and wrestles introspectively about her impending choice. This solid chick-lit submission is predictably formulaic, from its pedestrian plot to its calculable characters. Nonetheless, it's a wholesome read that will undoubtedly be popular with female teen readers. (Fiction. 12-16) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Freeman's latest doesn't actually deliver on the promised 1,000 reasons never to kiss a boy. The author of the list, a 16-year-old jilted by her first boyfriend, stops at only 42 reasons (each one of which introduces a chapter) before giving love another try. Between; number 1 ( Because a boy will betray you in a walk-in fridge when all you wanted was sliced tomatoes ) and number 42 ( Because a kiss does not actually make you a princess ), readers will find plenty of chick-lit staples, including a large supporting cast that includes best friends, bagel-shop buddies, and an opinionated house renovator. Armed with greater wisdom, much culled from the strong women in her life, Jane ultimately finds a reason to kiss again. Less credibly, almost everyone else who wasn't attached becomes so in the course of only two months. This breezy novel's greatest charms lie in its laugh-out-loud humor and the way Jane sheds her insecurities as she takes baby steps back up to the plate.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2007 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
Reason One: Because a boy will betray you in a walk-in fridge ... and when this happens you will be too surprised and mad and confused to move, let alone give him the quick kick he so totally deserves. Excerpted from 1,000 Reasons Never to Kiss a Boy by Martha Freeman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
