I love baking and eating pie, so I found this one especially interesting
(bonus recipes at the back to try, too). I read this one as an e-book from my
local library.
Description from the publisher
When Cady Bennett is sent to live with the aunt she didn’t even know she
had in the quaint mountain town of Julian, 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.
Then she finds out that Aunt Shell’s shop is failing. Saving the
business and protecting the first place she’s ever really felt safe will take
everything she's learned and the help of all her new friends. But are there
some things even the perfect pie just can’t fix?
Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway was published by
Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins in 2019.
Why you want to read this book:
I loved how Cady’s willingness to try new things and learn develops as
she begins to feel at home and trust her aunt. There are some emotional scenes
at the beginning when she’s acting tough and stubborn. There are several
interesting characters she meets as she gets to know people in the town, and I
loved her creative plans for saving the pie shop! A fun read, especially if you
like baking or baking shows!
My favorite part is combining everything. How it mixes and becomes something new.
Opening:
I open my eyes,
expecting to see the inside of our van, Dad snoring next to me like a
half-broken engine. But I’m in a small
bedroom covered in bright posters.
If you’re a writer…
You might enjoy studying this novel to see how the author wove in issues
such as immigration, homelessness and financial hardship. I really loved all
the details she included about baking!
The tears that I’ve
been crushing down for three days come to a full boil. “I’m not that hungry,” I
say in a choked voice.
If you’re an educator…
Cady stands up for what she believes in, although
sometimes she could use a little more tact! There are a lots of connections to
issues in this story, and the fact that Cady is not able to live with her dad
will be interesting to students.
“Well, a lot of
things look complicated when they’re done, and they are complicated—but you
have to remember every single project gets broken down into a bunch of smaller
steps.”
Check out this review from Madison’s Library for another perspective on
this book!
If you’re looking for more delicious middle grade books to dig into, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.
