Lips Touch Three Times

Peach’s Picks Rating:


Title:
Lips Touch Three Times

Author:
Laini Taylor

Illustrator:
Jim Di Bartolo

ISBN:
978-0-545-05585-7

Publisher:
New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Copyright:
2009

Length:
265 pages

Plot Summary:
This book consists of three novellas whose stories each contain the premise that a kiss is life changing. Not interwoven, these are dark tales will startle and perhaps disturb the reader. “Goblin Fruit” is the first, shortest, and least complicated of the three. This is the story of 16-year-old, Kizzy, living on the outskirts of town with her family that she considers weird. They are from a vaguely describe “old country” and have brought all their superstitions with them. If only Kizzy had listened to her family’s warnings. The second story, “Spicy Little Curses Such as These” takes place in India. The author’s descriptions are vivid and the reader can almost smell the scent of the bazaar. This is an intriguing, complicated tale about a bargain with the devil and its long lasting effect on a future romance. “Hatchling” is the third novella and the most difficult story to follow. In it, a group of malevolent immortals use the bodies of young teens in order to live forever. All stories in this book are dark and leave the reader with a sense of foreboding.

Critical Evaluation:
This is a terrific book to dive into on a rainy cold day when the reader can enjoy one of the three stories all the way through, if not the entire book. Taylor has created three separate worlds in three different time periods - past, present, and future - that are mysterious, sensual, and vaguely mythological. Every character is well-drawn and events are believable even though they are fantastical. The end of each story arrives at a suitable and satisfying conclusion that fits the story, but the reader should not expect happy endings. The pen-and-ink drawings tinged with red compliment the text. Romantic illustrations in a style of a gothic graphic novel, they are integral to the story, moving it along in a similar manner as do the illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret : A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick. “Goblin Fruit”, the most straightforward, story is easily understood. “Spicy Little Curses” is more complicated and the reader will need to pay attention. “Hatchling” is a complicated story with much shifting of place and character. A reader may have to read this story twice to understand it, but it will be worth the time. All readers, not just fantasy lovers, will be more than satisfied with the book.

Reader’s Annotation:
This book contains three novellas each centering on a kiss. A kiss that changes lives forever.

Author Information:
Was a voracious reader as a child
Graduated from University of California, Berkeley
Attended California College of Art (did not graduate)
Married with one child and one dog
Lives in Portland, Oregon
Enjoys drinking coffee
Her husband is an artist and creates the illustrations for her books
Lives in a yellow house that she says is filled with books, marionettes, and robots
She writes in a brightly colored orange room with a lime green desk, and a turquoise bookshelf
She sells handcrafted gifts online at her website titled Laini’s Ladies
Shows photos of herself with neon-pink hair
Maintains a blog at http://growwings.blogspot.com/

Genre:
Paranormal

Curriculum Ties:
Use in literature classes

Booktalking Ideas:
Show the third illustration of the story “Spicy Little Curses Such As These” (young woman kneeling in front of a tombstone set in a cemetery). Read the following passage found on page 69, “Kissing can ruin lives. Lips touch, sometimes teeth clash. New hunger is born with a throb and caution falls away. A cursed girl with lips still moist from her first kiss might feel suddenly wild, like a little monsoon. She might forget her curse just long enough to get careless and let it come true. She might kill everyone she loves.”

Show the third illustration of the story “Hatchling” (girl hanging from a bridge in a cage). Then read the following passage found on page 145, “Esmé swayed on her feet. These weren’t her memories. This wasn’t her eye. She clamped a hand over it and ran to wake her mother.”

Reading Level/Interest Age:
High school

Additional Books by Author:
Dreamdark: Blacbringer
Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer
Dreamdark: Silksinger

Challenge Issues:
Sexual situations, violence
Deal with challenge by having a challenge policy in place, selection policy in place (ALA policies). Meet with library administration if necessary. Provide positive review(s) from professional publications.

Why this work is included in Peach’s Picks:
This book received starred reviews in Booklist and a positive review in School Library Journal. It was nominated as a National Book Award finalist, included in YALSA’s Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, included in NPR – Best Young Adult Fiction (2009), included in Publisher’s Weekly - Best Children’s Book of 2009, and included as a Junior Library Guild selection. It receives five peaches for a book with a unique paranormal view on kissing. Those interested in a Goth lifestyle will award the book so many peaches that a bushel basket will overflow.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lips-Touch-Three-Laini-Taylor/dp/0545055857/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273619474&sr=1-1

References:
Taylor, L. (2010). “About Laini.” Laini Taylor. Retrieved May 2, 2010, from http://www.lainitaylor.com/