Operation Pucker Up

by Rachele Alpine

First kisses are always nerve-racking—but especially when they’re onstage! Can Grace find a real-life Prince Charming before she has to lock lips in front of a crowd?

Grace Shaw is thrilled to pieces when she wins the coveted lead role in her school play. That is, until she realizes she’ll have to kiss Prince Charming. And not only is Prince Charming—a.k.a James Lowe—the most popular boy in school, but Grace has never, ever been kissed.

To help, Grace's two best friends create Operation Pucker Up—a plan for Grace to score a kiss before opening night so she doesn’t make total fool of herself in front of a live audience. If that weren’t enough to think about, Grace's father, who left six months ago, suddenly walks back into her life. Grace, her mom and sister have bonded as the “Terrific Three” – and while two of the “Three” welcome Dad back with open arms, Grace isn’t sure she can forgive and forget.

With Operation Pucker Up spinning out of control, and opening night fast approaching, will Grace manage to get her happily ever after—both on-stage and off?

Genres: Middle Grade

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2015

About the author

Rachele Alpine is a lover of binge watching reality TV, dogs, knitting, gummy peaches, and lots and lots of coffee!

One of her first jobs was at a library, but it didn't last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she's a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit.

By day she's a high school English teacher, by night she's a mom and wife, and she writes during any time she can find in between!

Rachele lives with her husband and son in Cleveland, Ohio, but dreams of moving back to Boston, the city she fell in love with while attending graduate school there.

Reviews

[Rachele Alpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book! Of course I love it! And I hope you do too! : )

[Ronni Arno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your tween will love reading about Grace and her friends as she navigates getting the lead in the school play (and the nerve-wracking kiss that goes along with it), and her parents sudden reconciliation after a year apart. The characters are relatable middle-schoolers, and the voice is spot on. I gave this to my 12-year-old, and she read it in a day!

[Layla Conceicao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!🤩

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I’m reading is called "Operation Pucker Up" by Rachele Alpine. This is her first novel for the young adults. This book she wrote about her middle and high school years when she spent her time at the Lakewood Little Theatrer. I adore the author's attention to detail throughout the entire book! Because each character has a unique personality, Rachele makes them all entertaining, interesting, and unique, bringing back memories of my time in school. The ending was fantastic! Peer pressure and parenting concerns are the main topics, hence it encourages the teens to relate to their identities and serve as positive role models. Grace Shaw is ecstatic when she beats out the eighth grade theater girls for lead in the school’s production of Snow White. First kisses is always nerve- racking. Can Grace find a real-life Prince Charming before she has to lock lips in front of a crowd? will Grace manage to get her happily ever after—both on-stage and off? You can decide.

[Allison Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventh-grader Grace Shaw is ecstatic when she beats out the eighth grade theater girls for lead in the school’s production of Snow White. Things don’t seem so great, however, when she can’t even tell her mom and sister the good news because her dad showed up for dinner after living on his own for months. It only gets worse when Grace realizes she’ll have to kiss one of the most popular boys in school in the final scene of the play - and she’s never been kissed before! Her two best friends get to work developing “Operation Pucker Up” - a detailed plan to get Grace kissed that fills a notebook. But no plan can go off without a hitch, and that includes Grace’s life onstage as well as at home. Alpine’s first middle grade book is very well-written and strong. Her first novel was for young adults and I really enjoyed that one as well, but I think she’s found her niche with tween writing! She makes the characters come alive as relatable people, and good role models for tween girls.

[Stephanie Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I have to say that I was a total drama geek in high school. This book took me back to those days. Even though I never played a main character, I spent many hours at play practice. Rachele has done a great job of capturing that environment. But mostly she manages to perfectly convey the pressure that comes from that first kiss. In this case, the main character knows her first kiss is coming since she's playing Snow White in the middle school production. But she doesn't want her first kiss to be in front of an audience. Her friends came up with the perfect idea: get Grace her first kiss before opening night. This book is so much fun, but it also has a great message about peer pressure and parental issues.

[Holly Bryan]

YAY, a new book from Rachele!! Can't wait to read it, and to share it with my niece :) But seriously... 2015?! Sigh.

[Abbey :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I love it!!!! 😍 This is now one of my favorite books! The ending was amazing and I love how much detail the author gave throughout out the book! The characters were all so different and each had their own special personality. I think Evan and Grace's dad were my favorite characters. I love the overall book and I'm very impressed with how well-written this story was! I just want to say that I think Rachele Alpine did an amazing job with this book!!! 😃 Definitely recommend purchasing!!! 😉

[Orangetails · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story that highlights the troubles that we go through in middle school. First kisses, liking boys, the excitement of a lead role in a play (loved all the attention to detail with the play!), friend problems, and not knowing how to deal with tough family issues. A good read for growing-up girls.

[Kyra Hotto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really cute, but way below my reading level. Also, I felt that some of the relationships in the book were not accurate. I felt that the friends, family, and enemy relationships just weren’t entirely right. I don’t want to spoil it, but I’m a huge theater kid and most theater kids aren’t horrible people. In all, this book was definitely worth reading, just not really my kind of book.

[Aviva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. A 12 year old girl would really like this book. It teaches to not only listen to your friends when you know that it won't turn out well. It teaches you to listen to your heart. Overall I really really enjoyed this book

[WKPL Children's/YA Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Jen and Miss Lori think this is a cute middle school drama that ends well for all.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh! It must be soo embarrassing for a person to hear and investigate your own romance plans!

[M.T. DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was utterly adorable. Toss in that the mc is a theatre kid, and you had me at hello.

[Kristen❤️ Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much when I was younger

[Lilly Loaf Of Bread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing! The only not good thing is that towards the end, not much detail was put in.

[Scarlett Officer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! ❤❤

[Beezy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute

[Mia Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was sooo good! I honestly cannot believe that it was James's first kiss also! And I felt like I knew from the start that Evan liked her!!! 5 stars!

[Ally Wetherhold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly adorable and age-appropriate for tweens.

[Trudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace is thrilled when she wins the lead role as Snow White in her school play, but then she discovers she will have to KISS Prince charming. Her friends decide to launch Operation Pucker Up to help her get her first kiss before the curtain goes up. She's also coping with the more serious issue of her Dad leaving, then returning, to the family. Rachele has written a funny, smart, well-balanced and thoughtful story that all tween girls will be able to relate to (I mean, who hasn't sweated over that first kiss?).

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently won, "Operation Pucker" up on Good Reads. This book by, Rachele Alpine, is a junior high book for girls. I read it in one setting and found it to have a realistic plot--a girl worried about getting her first kiss while also dealing with her parents' marriage troubles. The main characters were easy to relate to. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Courtney Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS ONE WAS SO FUN! From the gossip and rumors to crushes and knowing where to draw the line when your uncomfortable, this one was relatable fun and kept me engaged and reading! Definitely red did you haven’t already!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!!!! This is probably one of my favorite books of the entire year. Read this in one day and COULDN’T STOP READING! Highly recommend this. So many parts that were hilarious and parts that were so relatable.
6 ⭐️’s!!

[Jen Petro-Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very cute.

[Cindy Einhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and meaningful story for school-aged kids about being honest and true to yourself - and a super cool tribute to Beck Center for the Arts!

[Mary Elizabeth Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet and enjoyable tween romance. Even though I knew who Grace would kiss at the end of the book...the suspense of when it would happen was delightful. Grace's relationship with her parents added an authenticity and depth to her character and to her story. I truly enjoyed reading this story with my 8 year old daughter also named Grace. Thank you Rachele Alpine for clean and sweet junior novels I can share with my daughter. 😊❤📚