Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

 
Book menu for Dash & Lily's Book of Daresby Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

ISBN of edition I read: 9780375866593 (hardcover)

This is a sweet and hilarious comedy about two 16-year olds who have to spend Christmas alone in their hometown of New York City. It's a new twist on the boy-meets-girl plot and great for bibliophiles. There is also a "dash" of Cinderella and Ebenezer Scrooge.  I wish I had an aunt like "Mrs. Basil E."!

Food mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Coke Zero, 7
   Coke, 39
   Diet Coke, 117
Eggnog, 10
Cookies, 15, 45, 47, 51-2
   Spritz cookies, 46
      Chocolate snowflake, 53
      Eggnog, 53
      Gingerbread, 53
      Lebkuchen spice, 53-4, 102, 183, 199, 258
      Min kiss, 53
      Pumpkin , 53
Hot chocolate with peppermint liquor, 17
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches, 19
Pizza, 23-4
Calzone, 24
Goldfish crackers, 44
Popcorn, 47
Corn muffins, 62
Eggs, toast, pancakes, 70
Orange juice, 70, 180
Snickers bars, 73
Sno-Caps, 79
Yogurt, 86, 190, 205, 258
Milk and cookies, 91
Chicken soup, 99
Hot cider, 102
Ice cream sundaes, 105
Fanta, 126
Fresca, 126-7
Diet Rite, 126
Vegetarian lasagna, 137
Mountain Dew, 144, 155
Tea, 150
   Earl Grey, 151
   Lady Grey, 151
   Chamomile, 151
   Green Tea, 151
   Mint tea, 151
   English Breakfast tea, 151
Hot toddies, 162, 164
Candy cane drink (alcoholic), 164
Pancakes, 179-80
Chocolate pizza, 204
Noodle pudding, 236
Rice Krispies treats, 244, 255

Books/Authors mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Marcel Proust, 2
French Pianism: A Historical Perspective / Charles Timbrell, 4, 10, 14
Fat Hoochie Prom Queen / Nico Medina, 6-8, 10, 14, 21
The Joy of Gay Sex(3rd ed.)/ Charles Silverstein, 8, 10-11, 21, 130
   203
What the Living Do: Poems / Marie Howe, 12, 24-5, 90
Harriet the Spy / Louise Fitzhugh, 19, 23
 J. D. Salinger , 263
   Franny and Zooey, 21, 74-75, 86, 90, 203
   Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, Carpenters, 203
   Nine Stories, 203
The Godfather / Mario Puzo, 23-4
Vile Bodies / Evelyn Waugh, 33
Oxford English Dictionary, 61-2, 68, 74, 78, 251
John Cheever, 90
E.B. White, 90
   The Trumpet of the Swan, 90
The Tender Bar: A Memoir / J.R. Moehringer, 90
Revolutionary Road / Richard Yates, 90
The Gathering/ Anne Enright, 90
A Christmas Carol / Charles Dickens, 101
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler /
   E.L. Konigsburg, 104
Federico Garcia Lorca, 128
Cain, 145
Winston Churchill's memoirs, 146
James Patterson, 147
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes / Arthur Conan Doyle, 149
Jane Austen, 149
Mark Strand, 186
   "The Story of Our Lives" (poem), 195-6
Langston Hughes, 232
Nicholas Sparks, 250

Movies mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer , 10, 38-9, 42-45, 49, 156
The Godfather , 25
The Godfather III, 25
Clueless , 25-26
The Sorrow and the Pity , 26
Miracle on 34th Street , 26
Meet Me in St Louis , 79

Magazines mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Maxim, 20
Vogue , 152
The New Yorker , 184

Plays mentioned in Dash &Lily's Book of Dares:
Rent / Jonathan Larson, 21
Hedda Gabler / Henrik Ibsen, 175

Artists mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Georgia O'keeffe, 151

Music mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
O Holy Night, 17
Mozart, 19
"Handel's Messiah ", 46
Mamma Mia Soundtrack , 86
Eminem , 109
Green Day , 113
Klezmer music, 113, 135
The Beatles, 162, 164
"1812 Overture", 213
"Stop" / Spice Girls , 229

Great vocabulary mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
ersatz, 1
philatelist, 2
infinitesimal, 61
arcane, 61, 67, 75
magnanimous, 74
sycophants, 88
liquescent, 91
epistolary, 150
germane, 152
sentient, 156

Door prize/Gift basket ideas for Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
Red notebook/journal
Gift card to The Strand bookstore (NYC)
Gift card to Two Boots Pizza (NYC)
Copy of the movie Gramma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Copy of the book What the Living Do: Poems by Marie Howe
A tin of Lebkuchen spice cookies
Gift cards to Macy's or FAO Schwarz toy store

Libraries mentioned in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares:
page 65: ...I spent the whole weekend darting through alleys and peering inside every bookcase crevice I found in the library, looking for my cats.