SUMMER OF A THOUSAND PIES by Margaret Dilloway – A story about trust and pie

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.