Fifteen at Last

Kobie Roberts #5

by Candice F. Ransom

When she turns fifteen, Kobie figures her best year is ahead of her. Then her friend Gretchen falls in love, so Kobie develops a crush on her math teacher. When her plan to win his heart backfires, an unwelcome secret admirer confuses things more.

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

See also Candice Ransom

Ransom has published more than 150 books for children, and she is amazed every day that she's able to do this as her life's work. It's no small thing to discover at an early age (ten!) what one is meant to do, and then pursue that dream. For her, the best part of writing for children is that she can move between writing board books, picture books, easy readers, chapter books, middle grade novels, nonfiction, and biography. She is excited to move into picture book nonfiction with BONES IN THE WHITE HOUSE: THOMAS JEFFERSON'S MAMMOTH (Doubleday, 2020).

AMANDA PANDA QUITS KINDERGARTEN and the sequel AMANDA PANDA AND THE BIGGER, BETTER BIRTHDAY (Doubleday) are her first picture books with animal characters! She is proud of her easy readers featuring a brother and sister having fun throughout the year: PUMPKIN DAY, APPLE PICKING DAY, SNOW DAY, and GARDEN DAY. Look for more titles in this Level 1 series written in bouncy rhyme, plus the popular TOOTH FAIRY'S NIGHT (all Random House).

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of sad this series is over. I have so many questions! Did Kobie fulfill her dream of becoming a Disney animator? I would totally read a grown-up-Kobie volume...

In the final book in the series, Kobie is 15-years-old and nothing is going her way. Her mother told her being 15 would be "easier" but it's not: Gretchen abandons her for a new boyfriend (yes, Gretchen is THAT FRIEND we all knew), she's developed serious tonsillitis and she's longing for love. She falls hard for a shop teacher at her new high school and takes Sandy's advice to "get his attention". Since the advice is from the well-meaning-but-clueless-Sandy, you can imagine how well that goes.

I was a bit annoyed by Kobie's relationship with her mother. In every book in the series, she has issues with her mother, but by the end, they work it out and Kobie seemingly gets some personal growth. But then she's right back at treating her mom like crap in the next book. I guess I just can't relate to that because I never really had that kind of issue with my own mom when I was a teen. And I couldn't help cringing at some of Kobie's behavior. (I never crushed on a teacher, but it's ASTOUDNING to me that a teen would really believe that a full-blown adult teacher would fall in love with them???) She constantly insists she's a grown up because she's 15, yet she LITERALLY THROWS FOOD when she's in the hospital after having her tonsils removed. It's so childish that I did a full body cringe reading that passage. And I'm super-annoyed that Kobie apparently faced no repercussions after wrecking Charles's car and destroying Mr. Brown's garbage cans!

[Leeknowscatsitter · Rating 1 out of 5]

my friend randomly gave me this short, old book and i said what the heck, i'll finish it tonight. it was ok. do you know about some authors who try to write from kids perspecitves and describe what the popular crowd is and what we like to do? well i could tell this author was trying to do that, but failing miserably. points for good story, though a bit stalkerish.

[Heather Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Kobie. Fifteen At Last contains all the awkwardness of misplaced teenage affection and resonates even today - all the stupid things we do when we think we're in love.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it wish they would make another one

[Camelia Tedjasukmana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series as a young teen and felt so related to Kobie

[Della]

Dari semua serial Kobie yang saya punya, yang ini paling menyenangkan karena di sini dia jatuh cinta pada gurunya. Ketika membaca ini, usia saya dua belas tahun dan saya tak bisa membayangkan jatuh cinta dengan guru-guru saya yang sudah tua dan botak itu, hehehe..
Dan kesimpulan saya saat itu adalah: masa remaja di Amrik sono jelas berbeda dari saya, karena saya jatuh cinta pertama kali pada usia sembilan belas tahun. Waktu masih lima belas sama sekali tak terpikir untuk naksir cowok.
Freak banget kan? :))

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember thinking this series was great at the time (at the age of eleven), but I couldn't really tell you what the story even was now; just that I enjoyed them a lot. Sure I wouldn't be overly impressed if I re-read them now, but I am not really into reading things over, I like the feeling I come away with after first reading a book, and can rarely get that same affect back, especially when many many years have gone by!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book i wish i had read in my early years.

[Melina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet story which I relate to❤️

[JH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the Fourteen and Holding book but not as good as Thirteen. I wish the series had gone on longer than this.

I wish Gretchen had learned a bit more about why you shouldn’t ditch your friends when you get a boyfriend, an I wish that this book didn’t play into the societal messaging that having a boyfriend is the most important thing a teen girl can do. No wonder I was so confused in high school.