Kissing Atticus Primble decidedly belongs on the “basic teenage girl conflict” bookshelf. The protagonist, Kathleen, thinks only about Atticus and Bobby and seems to have no other interests in life. The predictable cast of characters is relatively small, so the reader can easily keep up with the plot. The storyline is basic: one girl plus two boys equals one love triangle. Atticus’s handicap, a wheelchair, is a refreshing aspect; however, I felt that Hoina could have taken that variable a lot further. I would have liked to see a more deeply psychological impact of the wheelchair on Atticus and his friends. Also, ATTICUS Primble and Bobby O’HARA are two name choices that I believe could have been different. As soon as I saw them, my mind jumped to Harper Lee’s beloved Atticus Finch and Margaret Mitchell’s unforgettable Scarlett O’Hara. The boys in Kissing share some of the traits (Atticus is gentle and kind, Bobby is popular and fun-loving) but the weight that those names carry is too much for many an author to tackle. Frankly, I would only recommend this to a thirteen-year-old dreaming of her first love.
