Review: Pizza for Pia

It's meal time and Pia's family is making pizza. They think she loves pizza.

But she doesn't.

What does she love instead?

This is a funny book about cooking together and meal-time. It's a great book to talk about pizza toppings. Everyone is happy.

What's your favorite pizza topping? 

Mine changes often but I make a white pizza with ham and mushroom. 

* books sent for review

Picture Book Review: Fruits in Suits

Even fruits like to jump in the water

Another fun read from Vegetables in Underwear - this one chats about different kids of suits from dress suits to bathing suits (mostly bathing suits). I loved the different fruits showing off various types of suits. Funny and entertaining with great illustrations that readers will want to pour over.  I also liked the end papers with the fruits labeled - great for learning about different types of fruits.

Tween Tuesday Review: Kitchen Chaos

* First in a series * 

Liza and Frankie have been best friends forever. But their social studies group project requires three people. They team up with the new girl Lillian. Liza's excited to befriend Lillian, but Frankie's unsure about it. She doesn't want to mess up their friendship dynamic.

Liza comes up with an idea for their project - discovering new foods. It's perfect because her favorite chef is offering cooking classes. She gets Lillian and Frankie to also sign up with their moms.

But not everyone's excited about cooking classes. Can Liza steer this project into a win-win for everyone?

My Thoughts: Super fun read! I loved this book. I loved the look at friendships when a new friend comes into the picture and how it changes everything. I loved seeing the girls interact with their mothers at the cooking classes. I loved Chef Antonio. I loved how each of the girls had their own perspective in the story. I liked the diverseness of the three girls and how they started to learn about their backgrounds for their project. Lots of drama, lots of food, and great friendships. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Cover Thoughts: Fun
Source: My Library

Mysterious Saturday Review: Long Quiche Goodbye

Charlotte and her cousin Matthew have taken over the family cheese shop in Providence, Ohio. They've modernized the shop, adding a wine store and selling other food products that will compliment the cheeses. The night of the re-opening, someone murders their landlord.

Ed wasn't a well liked man. He flirted with women. He was in the process of raising rents, evicting tenants, and selling off some buildings.

Charlotte's grandmother was found over the body covered with blood. Add in the argument she and Ed had shortly before his demise makes her the prime suspect. The murder weapon came from her store, sometime during the party. Charlotte knows her gentle, but free spirited grandmother could never have committed the murder.

She sets out to free her grandmother amid town gossip, a nasty mayor election, a potential romance, and a flair for cheese. Can she find out the truth?

My Thoughts: The murder threw Charlotte off base, forcing her to leap to conclusions, snoop in private places, and commits more than one scene in public. She's one to root for as she's sweet, funny, and has a good heart.

Confession: Whenever I read books about food: cupcakes, donuts, or in this case cheese I suddenly crave that food. The cheese sounds scrumptious. I'd love to visit a quaint shop of Charlotte and Mathew.

The Cover: Adorable! Simply magical

Source: Purchased

Mysterious Saturday Review: Cook the Books

Chloe’s still reeling from her breakup with chef boyfriend Josh, who moved to Hawaii . She misses him something fierce, but the new addition to her BFFs family helps ease the pain a little. Although she know needs to find a part time job to pay for all the baby items for Patrick.

She finds the perfect job, helping to organize a cookbook of Boston restaurants with the son of a famous chef. Chloe hears that Digger, Josh’s friend, has a new restaurant opening soon. She volunteers to call him and set up a tasting with her boss and his father.

When Chloe arrives at Digger’s apartment for the tasting a little bit early to help set up, she discovers a fire truck blocking her way. Digger’s apartment building set on fire, with him trapped inside. At first, it looks like an accident, but the more Chloe talks to other chefs for the cookbook, the more she uncovers.

When Josh shows up to find answers, Chloe finds herself in hot water. On one hand, she’s so happy to see him, but so angry with him for leaving. Does he have the best intentions or will she be setting herself up for another heartbreak?

Could Chloe be engaging with a killer who wants to advance in the chef world or could it be a woman wronged out for revenge? Will she uncover the truth before she says too much to the wrong person?

My thoughts: The fifth book in the Gourmet Girl series(a mother-daughter author team) mixes murder, romance, jobs and friendships with food, lots of food. I like how this one covers more relationships while the murder seems to take a backseat. I love food books, but they always make me hungry.

The Cover: Nice, I do love the deadly food type covers

Source: reviewed for www.teensreadtoo.com

Review: Fat Cat

Cat wants to win the science fair. In order to do so, she's going to need a killer project and she comes up with an idea to makeover herself. While Cat is smart and amazing -she's by no means thin. Now her project will force her to radically change her ways and become a better version of herself - just just thin, but healthy.

Cat decides that she will eat a Neanderthal diet - nuts, vegetables, fruits, and grains that would have been available. This means giving up her Diet Cokes and her processes food. She will also walk most places and go without electronics except when necessary and for safety reasons.

Will her project be good enough to beat her ex-best friend. What will she say to confront him about his past behavior? Will her new look gain her more attention or will people treat her exactly the same?

My Thoughts: I picked this book up because Meg Cabot wrote about it on her blog (and it's a known fact that I adore her). So I wasn't surprised when I didn't want to put this book down - there's an interesting science project, friendship, a little romance, and a past friendship drama to straighten out. I really liked hearing about the project and the food cooked - while Cat is losing weight, I think this is a foodie book and a very good one.

The Cover: Interesting, I like it.

Source: ILL from another library