Oh goodness I'm glad I'm not 14. Yes, even the 'lightest' stories here are melodramatic, but that's exactly authentic for early teens. Beautifully written snapshots - too fleeting for me, as I'm such an experienced reader, but for most of its audience it would be plenty deep and rich enough. ( )

I loved this short story collection. It began my interest in related short stories. These are all stories of teens at the Stardust Dance. The stories don't come together at the end. ( )

I loved this short story collection. It began my interest in related short stories. These are all stories of teens at the Stardust Dance. The stories don't come together at the end. ( )

I picked this up because really who can resist a bunch of stories centered on a dance? Okay, so lots of people. I however am not one of them. I was lucky enough that my junior high had dances every month in addition to the lunch time sock-hops the last Friday of every month (No, I didn't grow up in the 50's!).

I loved the idea of this book, and some of the story blurbs were exactly what I was looking for. That said, it just didn't deliver. I wanted drama, romance, fun, and a few tears. What I got was vague emotions from the characters, little to no character development, and a tiny little book with a large number of stories. I really feel that Appelt should have just focused on a few of the short stories and built them up enough to get the reader to actually care about what is happening. I can understand not wanting to turn everything into a novel, but even short stories need to have some character depth.

This would be a book I'd recommend for a tween with a short attention span. ( )

Collection of short stories centered around an eighth grade dance and the students who will be in attendance. Each story is different and is told by someone from a different background: two sisters with an over-protective father, a girl who was raped at the dance, a boy who realizes he may be homosexual, and more. Short reads but interesting material. Many teens could relate to the stories. ( )