Review: Love & Saffron

When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter--as well as a gift of saffron--to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she's never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties. As the two women commune through their letters, they build a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the unexpected in their own lives. - Summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: This book is a couple years old, and I hadn't heard of it. It took me a beat to get into this book, but pretty quickly I was hooked. I love how the two ladies talked about food, recipes, and gardening. I loved the looks into their lives and how they shared so much about themselves in their letters. I love epistolary novels. I didn't want to put this one down.

Cover Thoughts: Charming

Source: My Library

Why I read this book: After reading The Correspondent, I wanted more epistolary novels. I found this one from a list and tried it. And almost immediately, I was hooked.

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your fiction section. 

 

Picture Book Review: It's Taco Knight

In a kingdom, knights feed everyone dinner and everyone takes turns - until Taco Knight comes to town. Everyone loves Taco Knight, so he decides to make dinner every night. But having the same thing for dinner every night makes people cranky. They booed him. With a little help, he realizes what he's done and tries to fix it.

This is a funny story about dinner but also about change and variety. Perfect for fans of Dragons Love Tacos.

Picture Book Review: Ripening Time

At the grocery store, the family buys plantains. But the sisters have to wait all week until they are ripe. Waiting is so hard. Finally they are ready!

I loved this story - waiting for something yummy is very hard. This is a sweet story about tradition and delicious food. 

Review: Eliza from Scratch

 

Eliza's two semesters away from being Salutatorian. But there's a problem with her schedule. Instead of an AP class, she's been placed into a culinary arts class. While Eliza's mother is a fantastic cook, Eliza herself is terrible. She's nervous that this class will allow the next person to pass her in class standings. 

When the teacher assigns her partner for the semester, Eliza can't believe her misfortune. She's stuck working in with Wesley. He knows his way around the kitchen and he's just as unhappy at being paired with her. The mix together like oil and water. Can they learn to work together?

My Thoughts: I really loved this one. I felt bad for Eliza's mother who is struggling with grief, but I loved the moment of cooking between her and Eliza. I loved how it became a place for her to share stories with her daughter. And for Eliza, it became not only helpful in her class, but also helpful connecting to a culture and person that she didn't really know. I loved the cooking mishaps. I love how Eliza grew during the year from being so focused to allowing herself to have some fun. I do love her banter and her cooking moments with Wesley. I love how they started to get to know each other and push through their first impressions. This is Sophia Lee's debut novel, and she nailed it. I would give her a handshake. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public library

Why I read it: I love cooking books

Hand it to: Those who love cooking shows

Picture Book Wednesday: Ice Cream Everywhere

Ice Cream is loved all around the world - with lots of different textures and flavors.

I'm a sucker for ice cream, it's one of my favorite deserts. It was fun reading about ice cream flavors from around the world. We might all be a little bit different, but ice cream can cheer us all up! There's a lot of knowledge in this book - and it might inspire you to go out for ice cream...

Middle Grade Review: The Truth about Triangles

 

Luca loves his family's pizza restaurant. He loves creating pizzas; he just wishes that his mother would try them and allow them to be added to menu. The business is struggling financially, and he knows he can save it. 

His family is out of sorts. His parents are fighting all the time. His twin siblings are fighting all the time. Luca is the glue that holds everyone together. 

But he's having a hard time juggling it all.

His favorite reality show, about pizza places, announces this is their last season. They invite restaurants to enter. Luca rushes to fill out an application; this could be the answer to all his problems.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. Obviously, I craved pizza while eating it. I wanted to wrap Luca up in a giant hug. He was going through so much drama: family, friendship, romance, and job drama. His parents are separating. Luca has to babysit the twins often.  A new boy moved to town. He and Luca are hanging out, but he's lying to his best friend about it. All this drama is making his stomach hurt.

Luca has such a big heart, and he was always trying to make everyone else happy. I loved the moments where people tried to make him happy. I loved that he got to meet his hero. I loved the moments between him and Will.  A really wonderful story that I didn't want to put down. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your middle grade school and public library collection 

Picture Book Review: Books About Food

Some picture books about food, gardens, and farming

This picture book shares poetry about farming. It's a combination of poetry and story with rich illustrations. 

I like how it says if you like X (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or mushrooms on pizza) and then proceeds to share how those crops become available. I also love how it talks about lots of different ways to farm and then sums everything up with an afterward showcasing all the methods showcased in the book. 

Three siblings join their uncle in his garden. The garden is in the city. They worked hard to plant the garden and then taking care of it. 

I love how each sibling was allowed to pick their own vegetables to grow. I enjoyed watching the veggies grow and how excited everyone was. Of course, there was a celebration at the end of the summer with all the food. There's a recipe at the end of the book.

A young girl's mother doesn't like the winters where they live; her mother grew up in Taiwan. When they go for a visit, the two spend a lot of time outdoors. But when they go back home, everything goes back to normal. It makes the girl sad, so she tries to share nature with her mother again.

This is a wonderful story about being outside and learning about nature. It inspires me to get out more; I could use a little more sunshine. The illustrations are charming. There's a glossary at the end of items in nature talked about as well as garden plants.

When winter fades away, one day Amanda brings a box of chalk outdoors. She begins to draw on the sidewalk. Others soon join in. Pretty soon they have a glorious picture filled with color. Four days later it rains. While they don't have any more chalk, they still have their imagination. And they create something else.

A book about community coming together after surviving hard times. I love how everyone drew with the chalk and worked together. It might not be a real garden, but it shares the same sentiment. 

Board Books: Food

Food Books!

An interactive recipe book with lots of vocabulary for thus yummy food.

Adorable book about love and pizza. Lots of puns here. And lots of things to talk about. Pizza toppings is always a good topic!

Picture Book Wednesday: Ice Cream Man

 

Today at the library, it's one of our Family Fun Nights for Summer Reading. Tonight, the owner of my favorite local ice cream shop will be talking about small businesses, ice cream, and being a part of the community. And then, of course, we get to eat ice cream! 

A picture book biography of Augustus Jackson and how his inventions help make ice cream today. From the streets of Philadelphia to the White House and back, he made ice cream for three presidents. But he wanted to make ice cream for everyone. He invented new ways to make ice cream faster, He created new flavors. He created ways to ship ice cream so other stores could sell his ice cream.

This is a fascinating book about the sweet dessert. The illustrations are charming. And there is an ice cream recipe included. 

Picture Book Wednesday: Plátanos Go with Everything

 

Plátanos  are the perfect food - they cheer you up when you're sad and keep you happy. They remind Yesenia's family of home - life in the Dominican Republic. Everyone in her family loves them.

There's a lot of love in this book to go with the mouthwatering food. This book is a celebration of family and plátanos. The bright colorful illustrations make this book pop.

Series Spotlight: Where Does It Come From

This series is new at my library. 

1. Great pictures

2. Easy to understand information

3. Step by step process

4. Variety of Foods 

These are for early elementary school readers. 

Picture Book Review: Soup Day

The weather turned this week from humid to windy and it feels like a good day for soup:

On a snowy day, a mother and her daughter visit the store to buy ingredients for soup. Together they make the soup and play while it cooks. Finally, they eat together has a family once the girl's father comes home.

While on the surface this is a simple book, there's a lot packed into it. I love how concepts are introduced. I really love the mother and daughter playing together - and that they pick up afterwards. I love the illustrations and bright colors. It does make me want to make soup, which is perfect because there's a recipe in the back.

Picture Book Review: Niki Nakayama

 

Niki Nakayama had a dream. She loved inventing new dishes to try - a fusion of her Japanese and American cultures. Not everyone thought she could do it. But she proved them wrong. She studied and experimented and learned. And she succeeded.

A fantastic picture book biography about a chef who didn't take no for an answer and who creates dishes her way. I love that the dinners tells a story and that no one ever has the same meal twice. Very inspiring.  A great story with fantastic illustrations.

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public libraries. 

* Book sent for review

Review: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie

 

When their mother died four years ago, everything changed. Now Lucy's ready for summer, but at the last minute her father changes all the plans. When the family inherits a chunk of money, he purchases a food truck. He's made plans to spend the summer on the road.

Lucy, Freddy, and Herb aren't sure about this plan - but they have no choice. They all have different ideas on how the money could have been spent. But together they try to make the best of it. 

Lucy, who has become the primary caretaker, can't believe that her father's going to spend the whole summer with them. He's usually buried in his work.  

They start creating pies - including their family's famous peach pie. After several bumps, they start getting the hang of it. But will it be smooth sailing?

My Thoughts: I heard about this book at a Renegades of Middle Grade event and I knew I had to read it. It sounded amazingly good and it didn't disappoint. I'm eagerly waiting for the next two books in the trilogy. I love pie, so I was all about this food truck. Although, I did love the other ideas on how to spend a million dollars; they were inventive. I felt badly for the kids as their lives changed once again and they weren't sure of their roles. But I loved how they helped each other out and took care of each other. While it's clearly a modern story, it has that same nostalgic feel from the Penderwicks or the Vanderbeekers. This delicious book will make your mouth water. 

Cover Thoughts: Great

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public libraries

Middle Grade Review: Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life

 

* Part of the Wish series *

Nadine and Daniel are best friends. She creates music. He creates coffee drinks. They talk about everything - including coming from single family homes. Daniel's father past away. Nadine's mother left her family. 

Life is great between the two friends - until a new family moves to town. For one thing, they purchase the coffeeshop where they hang out and where Daniel works. Secondly, Kira becomes the new girl in town. 

Nothing much happens in the small Vermont town, so Kira is instantly popular. And Daniel is smitten with her. Nadine can't figure out why he likes her so much or why he's insisiting on showing Kira how much he likes her through anonymous gifts. But one thing's for sure...this changes Everything! 

My Thoughts: So this series - isn't a series in term of characters, but there's always food involved. And recipes. I was surprised to read about the fictional Vermont town, which would be really close to where I grew up. It's fun seeing landmarks in the book. I love the cute coffee shop where everyone hangs out. If Daniel made hot chocolate drinks the way he makes coffee drinks, I would hang out there too! I love how both Daniel and Nadine have discovered something they're passionate about. I loved their friendship. I enjoyed the romance in the book. I really liked the parents in the book - and how their stories ended. Another winner in this series and I hope there are more books coming!

Cover Thoughts: Perfect

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Another sweet treat for your middle grade collection! 

Review: Donut Dreams

* First Book in a new series *

Lindsay's world is rapidly changing. She's about to start middle school. She's learning to live without her mother, who died two years ago. She's starting to work at her family's donut shop. Lindsay's learning to create a balance in her life. She might be just like a donut, with a hole in her middle, but her friends and family are doing to do their best to help fill it.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I liked learning about Lindsay's big family - and getting to know everyone who worked in the family business. With such a big family, I can't wait to read more about them in the next few books. I loved reading about the donuts, they made my mouth water. I enjoyed the tight bonds of friendship and family. This was a fun start to a new series.

Cover Thoughts: Cute - and it makes my mouth water
Source: ARC sent for review
Library Recommendations: Grab this book for your school and public libraries, especially where the Cupcake Diaries and the Sprinkle Sundays series are popular.

Book and Movie Review: You're Bacon Me Crazy

Last weekend, the Hallmark Channel showed this movie - which is an adaptation of this tween book.

Of course, they changed the storylines around a little bit, but the meat of the book is the same.

So the book features the main character of Tessa who helps out at her aunt's food truck. She loves coming up with new menu ideas. Her parents aren't crazy about all the time she spends there, especially when she forgets about school work other important things.

When a boy from her class starts working there too, things change. At first, Tessa can't stand him. But the more they talk, the more she understands him. Could there be a spark between them?

The movie is a little different. The romance switched to Tessa's Aunt Cleo and...the Bacon Guy. 

Both stories are sweet, charming, and of course full of bacon.

You might ask how a tween book became a Hallmark movie.

Well you're in luck, I was able to chat with Suzanne Nelson and here's what she had to say:

How did the book happen to be turned into a Hallmark Movie?

Scholastic Entertainment and the Hallmark Channel partnered to potentially adapt three Scholastic books into movies for the Hallmark Channel. I was so lucky that You're Bacon Me Crazy was one of the three books that was chosen. So much of that process happened "behind-the-scenes." I received updates from my Scholastic editors, but for a long time we didn't know with certainty whether a movie would definitively happen or not. You're Bacon Me Crazy was the second book I wrote in the foodie line for Scholastic. I wrote it back in 2014, which seems so long ago now, but this line of books continues to grow and reach new readers every year! It's a dream come true! What's great about the foodie line of books is that each book has different characters and different stories. They don't have to be read in any particular order, which is great for readers.

      Of course, I was absolutely thrilled when I received word that the "You're Bacon Me Crazy" movie was a-go! Having one of my books turned into a movies was a pipe dream, so it still seems so surreal. Movies can often take years to produce, so I was incredibly excited when I found out that "You're Bacon Me Crazy" would premiere this April! Once I received word that the movie was in production, everything happened with lightning speed. The filming in Vancouver took place over about a three-week period in February, and less than two months later the movie premiered on the Hallmark Channel! It's been a wild ride and so much fun to be a part of!

Wow that is very quick! And really cool.

Did you have any influence over the script? Make a cameo? Visit the set?

When a book is adapted into a movie, authors aren't usually directly involved in the movie's creative process. A movie is a chance for script writers, film producers and directors, and the film's cast to bring their own creative visions to the storyline. And thank goodness for that, because I have no experience with the movie industry at all! Ha ha. Script writing is SO different from novel writing, and I was glad to have another talented writer take on that task. Christopher Sey wrote the "You're Bacon Me Crazy" movie script and he did such a wonderful job of capturing the foodie fun and spirit of the book. I was lucky to be able to read the script before I saw the movie, and it made me so excited to watch it all come to life on the screen!

      Because the production and filming time for the movie was condensed into about a three-week period, I wasn't able to visit the set. It all happened much too fast for that. I would've loved to have had a cameo in the movie, though. I would've loved being a customer ordering a sandwich from Cleo's Kitchen or Gabe's Mo' Bacon food trucks! I would've ordered Cleo's meatball sub and Gabe's BLP sandwich!

      I had the chance to meet Natalie Hall, the actor who played Cleo in the movie, during an Instagram Live chat on the night of the movie premiere. That was so much fun! She's absolutely delightful--so kind and genuine. We chatted for a few minutes, which was great! She did a fabulous job of portraying Cleo in the movie. Cleo was one of my favorite characters from the You're Bacon Me Crazy book, along with Tessa. Olivia Steele Falconer played Tessa in the movie, and she was fantastic in her role, too. I loved the dynamic between Cleo and Tessa in the movie, and Tessa's wise teen words of wisdom in the movie made me grin. Tessa had one of my favorite lines from the movie, too: "Your food needs to be liberated from the narrow confines of bread." That was hilarious! It was also so great that Tessa was so in-tune with Cleo's crush on Gabe. At one point in the movie, she asked Cleo, "Are you crushing on Bacon Dude?" That had me laughing out loud. Leave it to the teen to have the stellar crush radar!

     Overall, the casting for the movie was perfect. Just thinking about it now makes me smile. I've watched the movie twice so far, and I know I'll be watching it many, many more times. It's just such a happy, feel-good movie, which is what I think we all need right now. 

For anyone who hasn't yet seem the movie, it's showing many more times on the Hallmark Channel during April and May. You can learn more about the movie and its showtimes here: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/youre-bacon-me-crazy. 

I would have ordered that meatball sub too. It sounded amazing.

Yes, if you haven't seen the movie, go watch it! It's super cute. And it might just make you hungry....

Would you have added anything to the movie?

Honestly, the movie was such a sweet treat, I don't think I would've added anything. Except maybe some chocolate! Ha ha. The scenes between Cleo and Gabe had a wonderful "Hall-spark"--that spot-on Hallmark Channel chemistry that make the channel's movies so charming. My favorite scene was when Cleo called Gabe using a fake New York accent and placed an enormous food order from his Mo' Bacon truck. She thought she was tricking him, but he knew it was her the whole time! That scene wasn't in the book, but I'm delighted it was in the movie! My book has a whole new life now in movie form! Of course, there are similarities and differences between the book and movie, but I love that we get Tessa's crush story in the book, and now we get Cleo's crush story in the movie. It's two sweet romances that intertwine. What could be any better than that?

I do like that we get to romance stories with the different forms!

And I loved that scene too, it was funny when he walked the order over to the truck.

What's your favorite bacon dish?

I love to eat bacon ON other food rather than just by itself. My favorite way to eat bacon is on a perfectly-grilled cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and onion rings on top. I also love it in salads and chicken sandwiches. My mom has this amazing family recipe for chopped broccoli salad that has bacon, dried cranberries, and pecans in it. I can't get enough of it! I invented some bacon recipes for my You're Bacon Me Crazy book, and also some before the movie's premiere. Out of all of those recipes, I have to say that the cheesy bacon BBQ crunch dip and the BLT special sauce were my top two favorites. Adding the sauce to a BLT gives it a fun little kick! All of those recipes are on my blog on my author website at: https://www.suzannenelson.com/category/recipes/.

Oh, great. I always love to read books about food, but it's even better if there are recipes!

What's your next book?

My next book in the foodie line for Scholastic is Pumpkin Spice Up Your Life, which will be out on September 1. Autumn is my favorite season, and that book is full of fall fun--hayrides, pumpkin-picking, leaf piles, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes! There's also a very sweet crush story in this book that I'm particularly fond of. I love the cozy dynamic between the characters Nadine and Daniel and hope readers will, too!

      There's also a tenth foodie book coming as well, but the title and storyline for that book are still top secret. I will say this: the mystery book centers on one of my favorite types of desserts, and I'm so excited to invent the recipes for it!

      In addition to the upcoming foodie books, my first picture book is coming out with ZonderKidz this fall as well. Over in a Stable will be out on October 6. It's a sweet Christmas counting book about the nativity, inspired by the classic song "Over in the Meadow." Since Christmas is my favorite holiday, I'm so excited about this book.

     I'm also very excited that there's a paperback edition of my middle-grade novel, A Tale Magnolious, coming out this July. It's available in hardcover already, but a paperback edition will be lovely. The book is about an orphan named Nitty Luce, an elephant named Magnolious, and some magical seeds. It's a book very dear to my heart--full of magic and hope. I hope readers will scoop it up for summer reading!

These all sound great! Thanks for chatting with me!

And don't forget to watch the movie and read the book!

About the Author:

Suzanne Nelson is the author of dozens of middle-grade books, including You're Bacon Me Crazy, Cake Pop Crush, and the rest of the books in the foodie line for Scholastic, as well as A Tale Magnolious for Knopf Books for Young Readers. Her books are available for purchase online from Indiebound (https://www.indiebound.org/), Barnes and Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/), Amazon (www.amazon.com), and in bookstores everywhere. Suzanne can be found on Twitter @snelsonbooks and on Facebook and Instagram @suzannenelsonbooks. Her website is www.suzannenelson.com.

On Your Radar: Tweet Cute (34)

Title: Tweet Cute

Author: Emma Lord

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: January 21, 2020

Why It Should Be On Your Radar:

You've Got Mail inspired

Grilled Cheese

Baked Goods

Baking Blog

Family Drama

Twitter War

Snarky

Friendship

Secrets

Romance

Swim Team

Shipping

If you're having a hard time waiting for this book, check out these other books:

Thanksgiving Picture Book Round Up

Here are some Thanksgiving reads - some for review and some for updating our collection. We don't have a lot of Thanksgiving picture books and the ones we have are a little bit older.

 I'm on the hunt for more, so if you have a favorite, please, leave me a comment!

Five Little Thank-Yous

A sweet board book about 5 things that make us Thankful for - perfect for sharing with little ones.

You can count your happy thoughts on one hand.

The artwork is charming.

Gobble Up Snoopy

Snoopy is thankful for - his food dish being filled up. So he pens a thank you note to his food dish. It's funny and sweet and all about food and friendship. 

Turkey for Thanksgiving

This one is a much older story, which my boss urged me to read, about a group of friends getting together to share Thanksgiving dinner. But the hostess desperately wants a turkey for the table and her husband promises to track one down - which he does with a little help from his friends. 

While the premise seems a bit scary, this is a lovely book about friendship, food, and being together. 

How to Catch a Turkey

When a turkey hears about a show, he get stage fright. He leads the entire school on a chase - from the coach to the principle. He goes from science class to the library to the recess yard - all before he mistakenly makes he way back to the stage where he'll have to face his fear. 

A cute story about facing your fears with fun illustrations.

Fangsgiving

The members of the Fright Club are back and gathering for their Thanksgiving feast. They have their own way of doing things, but when Vladimir's family shows up, they take over the meal preparation. And it goes badly. Thanksgiving is ruined. 

A great story about expectations, family, and working together to make a memorable day.

Duck and Hippo Give Thanks

Duck and Hippo decide to host an old fashioned Thanksgiving Feast. Hippo can't wait to have all the trimmings! He works hard baking, but his friends are late. When they show up, they all have a dish to add to the table. But it's not the dishes at a typical Thanksgiving Feast...

A sweet story about friendship, being different, and sharing.