Hi Kid Lit Friends,
With the start of autumn, I have been looking forward to turning on the oven again as the weather cools down. If you haven’t been able to tell from these newsletters, I LOVE cooking and baking (and eating!). And I am very happy to share that there are some wonderful new middle grade books that have food themes!
Supriya Kelkar’s As American As Paneer Pie centers around Lekha Divekar, the only Indian American kid in her small town. She feels like she has two versions of herself: Home Lekha, who loves watching Bollywood movies and eating Indian food, and School Lekha, who pins her hair over her bindi birthmark and avoids confrontation at all costs, especially when someone teases her for being Indian. But when a new neighbor named Aventika moves in and faces the same bullying at school, Lekha is surprised to find that Aventika proudly displays her culture rather than hiding it. Can Lekha do the same?
A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is filled with food themes. Written in alternating points of view, the story follows two sixth graders, Sara and Elizabeth, that attend the same school. Sara is new and adjusting to a place that is completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression. The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. Gradually they become cooking buddies . . . but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks is one of my favorite middle grade books from 2020. In this book, Zoe Washington learns that her father, a man she’s never met, is in prison for a terrible crime he never committed. While Zoe tries to uncover the truth, she is also juggling her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. There are many, many delicious cupcake recipe ideas in this book!
When Cady Bennett is sent to live with the aunt she didn’t even know in Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway, she isn’t sure what to expect. Cady isn’t used to stability, after growing up homeless in San Diego with her dad. Now she’s staying in her mother’s old room, exploring the countryside filled with apple orchards and pie shops, making friends, and working in Aunt Shell’s own pie shop—and soon, Cady starts to feel like she belongs until she finds out that Aunt Shell’s shop is failing.
Lucy Knisley’s middle grade debut graphic novel Stepping Stones is all about change… and food. When Jen and her mom move to a farm with her mom’s new boyfriend, Walter, Jen isn’t happy. She misses the city and she misses her dad. Furthermore, Jen gets two new sisters. In addition to learning new chores and adjusting to farm life, Jen has to deal with know-it-all Andy. And even though cleaning the chicken coop, harvesting vegetables, and setting up a booth each week at the local farmers’ market keeps her busy, it can’t keep Jen from thinking about the life she left behind.
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai is a funny and poignant illustrated middle grade book. When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he’s often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao. To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she’s at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they’ll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.
What are you reading these days? Let me know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at KarinaBookRiot@gmail.com.
Until next time!
Karina
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