Cooking Up Some Good Summer Reads

Now that summer has arrived, kids can focus on books with some more lighthearted fare. No longer do they have to worry about finding the deeper meaning in the story, keeping vocabulary lists or coming up with discussion questions.

However, this doesn't mean they should stop reading.  Kids who don't read over the summer can lose over three months of reading progress and studies show that kids who do read over the summer generally do better in school.

So let your children pick some fun books.  Comics and magazines are great and yes they do count.

This week I am profiling some books that are lighthearted and have recipies scattered throughout each story.  Your child can read one and whip up a delicous pie for desert, which might lead to some interesting discussions.  But no pressure, this is summer after all!


Title:       A Tangle of Knots

Author:   Lisa Graff

Target:    Grades 4-7

Series:     No

What this book is about:
Imagine a world were some people are blessed with a Talent.  These Talents can range from whistling, knitting or even in the case of Cady the orphan, cake baking.  Cady can tell when she meets someone exactly what their perfect cake will be.  As she longs to be adopted into a family, her encounter with an errant truck driver starts her on a path to meeting individuals whose lives are completely intertwined.  However, it is when someone tries to steal her Talent, that all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

Why I love this book:
There are really no throw away details in this book.  Even the most offhanded action comes back to be relevant during this story.  I have no idea how Graff kept all the threads in this story straight but I found myself rereading sections of the book to remind myself of what characters had done.  I almost felt the book was too short for all the things going on.

I very much enjoyed hearing the voices of many different characters.  I like it when an author gives us multiple points of view and I think it really helps kids understand the story.  Figuring out how all the pieces of the story come together makes it a very satisfying read.  

Who this book is for:
This book reminded me a bit of Savvy, so I think that kids who liked that aspect of a Talent or a gift being realized will like this story.   Kids who like baking will enjoy trying some of Cady’s recipes scattered throughout the story, which are tied to each character.

Final thoughts:
A lovely read that will certainly delight kids who like a good puzzle.

To purchase this book, click on the following link to connect to Amazon: A Tangle of Knots  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.  Yippee!

Title:       Pie

Author:   Sarah Weeks

Target:    Grades 3-6

Series:     No

What this book is about:
When Alice’s aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret recipe for her world famous pie crust, or so people think.  It turns out she has left the recipe to her cat Lardo, and her cat Lardo to Alice.  But how do you leave a recipe to a cat?  There is no shortage of people trying to get this recipe, as Alice and her buddy Charlie discover.  They try to chase down those who appear to be willing to steal Lardo to get access to this recipe and instead  find the real recipe for happiness.

Why I love this book:
This is just a charming story.  It is a “beach read” with a fun mystery and delicious looking pie recipes at the beginning of each chapter.  Weeks packs in some colorful characters and an engaging search for the Lardo kidnappers which keeps the story moving quickly.

Who this book is for:
Kids who feel confident in chapter books and that want some pure entertainment.  Might lean more towards girls.

Final thoughts:
A little love and some peach pie can go an awful long way to cheering someone up!

To purchase this book, click on the following link to connect to Amazon: Pie  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.  Yippee!

Title:       The Teashop Girls

Author:   Laura Schaeffer

Target:    Grades 4-7

Series:     There is a sequel, The Secret Ingredient

What this book is about:

Annie loves the Steeping Leaf, a tea shop owned by her grandmother.  She and her two best friends started the Tea Shop Girls club when they were younger and it has cemented their friendship ever since.  However, times have taken their toll on the shop, as new fancy coffee shops have moved into the neighborhood.  Will the girls desire to save the Steeping Leaf be enough to keep it from closing?

Why I love this book:

This is a cute, fun story.  It is primarily focused on change, both the changes in the shop and the changes the girls are experiencing as they get older and start to look toward high school.  However, these deeper messages will probably be lost on most readers.

Essentially, this book is appealing because it blends nostalgia (advertisements from old tea brands, scrapbooks from when the girls were younger, and recipes) with modern girls and their desire to get involved.  There is of course a cute boy, tea recipes scattered throughout the chapters, and a dad who wears t-shirts that are funny at home but way too embarrassing to be seen outside the house!

Who this book is for:

This book is for girls who like quirky, friendship books.  If your daughter liked My Life in Pink and Green, then this book is right up her alley.  In fact they are eerily similar.

Final thoughts:

Well darn if I didn’t crave an iced tea while reading this book!

To purchase this book, click on the following link to connect to Amazon: The Teashop Girls  A portion of each purchase goes to support this blog at no cost to you.  Yippee!