Finding Prince Charming sure is hard work
Popular high school senior Jessica Stone has a secret: she used to be a nerd — a goody two-shoes, grade-skipping, all-state spelling bee champ kind of nerd. But she gave herself the ultimate makeover and applied all her academic genius to study and imitate the social elite and now she rules the school. With her cool new friends and hottest-guy-in-school boyfriend, life’s a beach — and that’s where she’s headed for spring break. That is, until her biology teacher breaks the bad news that she’s failing and her only chance to make up the grade is to join the conservation club in Panama to save the golden frog.
Jess finds herself in a foreign country with a new social crew, including a ghost from her past that could threaten her queen bee reputation. Travis Henley may have grown up, but he still likes to play childish games and as payment for retrieving her lost ring from the bottom of a jungle pool, he wants three non-dates. The last thing Jess wants to do is be around him any more than she has to, but she’s desperate to keep him quiet and agrees. Soon she begins to realize the worth of her inner nerd, and that one frog in particular could be her prince in disguise.
Set in the lush and tropical El Valle de Anton, Kissing Frogs is a smart and funny re-imagining of “The Frog Prince” with an environmental heartbeat.
Rated E - Everyone over ten: Content is suitable for everyone but may contain mild violence and language and minimal suggestive themes.
THE REVIEW
The thing Jess Stone has been looking forward to for spring break is her birthday trip with her gorgeous boyfriend Miles to Miami. She's heartbroken when the plans are suddenly cancelled and she finds herself in Panama with the Conservation Club, as a way to pass biology.
It doesn't help matters that Travis Henley, the boys who teased her in elementary school is on the trip as well. She's fought so hard to get rid of her geeky nerd image to be with the popular crowd, that it's hard to fit in with the smart people again. Also, there are two girls who are determined to make the trip miserable for her.
While learning about the golden frogs of Panama, she realizes that being the smart girl isn't so bad. Travis makes it known that he wants to prove he's not the jerk she believes him to be, and she begrudgingly decides to let him. At the same time, she's trying to get ahold of Miles and her friends, and is heartbroken to find that he's decided to he wants a break.
Things change for Travis after he finds her Great-grandmother's ring. As payment for finding it, he wants three non-dates with Jess so he can change her mind about him. He's not the jerk she thinks he is, although, I do believe he was doing it just to get her attention. While going on these non-dates, she finds herself actually liking him and wanting to spend time with him.
As I said, I loved this book! Going on this trip made her realize that she was hiding a piece of herself, and by getting to know these few kids, she came to know what was more important.
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THE AUTHOR
Alisha Sevigny holds a degree in Sociology and Professional Writing from the University of Victoria, is a film school graduate, former literary agent and current Social Media and Communications Director for an award-winning English school. A shameless romantic, Alisha and her husband have travelled the world together. On a recent trip to Panama with their new daughter, Alisha fell in love with the country, culture, and their national emblem, the Golden Frog. She was inspired to write her first Young Adult novel, Kissing Frogs. Born and raised in Kitimat, British Columbia, Alisha has always had a strong connection to the environment and conservationist spirit. She now lives in Toronto with her family.
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