Raisin Rodriguez & the Big-Time Smooch

by Judy Goldschmidt

In the sequel to The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez, Raisin is blogging away about her latest challenges, with one at the top of the list—Raisin is thirteen years old and has never been kissed! Raisin’s determined to change that, hopefully with the help of adorable, mysterious, cinnamon-scented CJ Mullen.

Genres: Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2005

About the author

Judy Goldschmidt is the author of the popular Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez series, which follows a young girl as she leaves her childhood home and must make new friends. Judy first got the idea when a friend of hers was using Crest whitening strips to whiten her teeth and Judy wondered whether or not the strips could be used to put highlights in someone’s hair. Deciding that this was a funny question for a character to ask, Judy decided to write a book based around such a character and the Raisin Rodriguez story was born.

Unlike Raisin, Judy attended a private religious school and sometimes feels like she missed out on the quintessential thirteen year old experiences. Looking back, Judy recalls her own teenage years a bit differently than the character Raisin. Judy often wishes she could be as funny as Raisin.

Currently, Judy lives in the Big Apple – New York City.

Reviews

[Francie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Raisin Rodriguez, who has a blog that she writes to friends back home after she moves to Philadelphia. The main characters are Raisin, Lynn, Jeremy, C.J., Dylan, and her two best friends from back home in California, Claudia and Pia. Jeremy and Lynn are Raisin’s friends from Philadelphia, and they eventually start dating in the book, much to Raisin’s surprise. C.J. is Raisin’s crush, but she thinks that he likes Dylan, the pretty popular one and rumored underwear model.
The conflict is Raisin trying to get her coveted first kiss, because all of her friends have and she really likes C.J. It’s really an internal conflict because she is too scared to tell C.J. how she feels. When C.J. asks Raisin to work with him on his father’s wedding speech, she is thrilled and even happier when he asks her to the wedding. Feeling ignored at the wedding, she takes a walk with another boy. I was excited when she did that because I thought that C.J. would hopefully realize his true feelings for her. Thankfully, he did. C.J. confessed he liked Raisin and the books ends with Raisin finally getting her first kiss.
I really liked this book, but I think I should have read the first one first so I could understand it better. I didn’t really like how the book was told in the sense that it was a blog, but I liked the plot. I would recommend this to all the girls in our grade, but I suggest you reads the first one before, because I would have found it helpful.

[Hua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raisin is a seventh grader. Her mom remarried and she is new to her school because she just moved here. Raisin has online secret blogs where she changed every few weeks to update her sourroundings and to inform her two best friends Dia, and Claudia. when she met CJ Mullen she fell in love with him and decided to give her first kiss to him. This book reminds me of my past few years ago. It makes me feel old. After reading this book, it took me few minutes to reminisce my foretime. My favorite part of the book is when she talks about how she want to get CJ mullen's kiss and her feelings about it. If you want to know if she kissed him or not, you have to read to the end of the book without skipping a page. Reading this book it I know I would love this book in middle school because thinking back, it really shows how i felt back then.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book just as much as the first one about Raisin Rodriguez, a sassy and smart teen who blogs to her friends she moved away from. In this sequel of "The Secret Blog of Raisin Rodriguez", Raisin tells her friends every detail of her life, from her crush on C.J. Mullen and her relationship with her new step sister to her fashion choices and the new exchange student (rumored to be an underwear model) I loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, but what was with her 100% obsession about being kissed? I swear, that's all she thought about 24/7. And she's only in 7th grade! Personally, I have no idea why she hangs out with the dorks she does, considering that she seems like a pretty cool person.

[cali · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good sequil to the first.

[Sq.Hill Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read-alike for fans of _Gossip Girl_ and _Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging_! Has less questionable content than _Gossip Girl_ :)

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRST KISS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and lots more fun

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super cute follow up :)

[Jasmineluvsbooks Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a really great book ,i recommened for all girls waiting for there prince charming

[Dayanara · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS ASWOME IT MADE ME WANT TO READ MORE OF THIS 'SERIES' TYPE OF BOOK

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely hilarious. I love Raisin and her opinions, she may be a bit outrageous sometimes but she's breath of fresh air. Loved this book, I've read it so many times.

[Lucy Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good!!

[Tulsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilarious and real. Great insight into teen thoughts :)