Pie in the Sky

Pie in the Sky 

By Remy Lai

I really enjoyed this interesting story of a boy who moves with his mom and little brother to a new country, where he doesn't know the language or have any friends.
Jingwen (age 12) loves to bake, and by planning and secretly baking elaborate cakes he copes with all of the strangeness of his new home. Making cakes also allows him to grieve for his father, who died before he could open the bakery of his dreams.
This story is told partly through cartoons and other pictures, which comically illustrate how Jingwen feels like he is living on another planet!

Strudel Stories

I found this little book in the library when I was putting One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street back on the shelf (see previous post), and it was a real treat to read another of Joanne Rocklin's books.

Strudel Stories
By Joanne Rocklin

If you love stories and you love to bake (like me!) you will probably enjoy this sweet collection of tales of a Jewish family, short stories that are baked into the layers of generations of homemade apple strudel and passed down orally from one relative to another.
Some of the stories are humorous, some sad...they cover ghosts, the brutalities of war and persecution, and the hardships of immigrating to a new country. But all of the stories, however bittersweet, are testaments to the strong and enduring human spirit.

Edible Schoolyard

Edible Schoolyard;  A Universal Idea
By Alice Waters

With lots of beautiful, colorful photographs, this book explains how Alice Waters' dream to transform a Berkeley public middle school lunch program really happened...and it started a food revolution just across the Bay.  I hope we're next!
(ISBN: 978-0-8118-6280-6)

Chew On This

Chew On This;  Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
By Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson

Watch a digital book trailer here!

"Americans now eat about 13 billion hamburgers every year," Chew on This tells us.  "If you put all those burgers in a straight line, they would circle the earth more than thirty-two times."
Readers, beware:  you may not want to buy those Big Macs or drink those strawberry shakes after reading this book!  The author of Fast Food Nation has produced a book for young adults with the same information...junk food is way worse for you than you even know.  And Schlosser and Wilson will tell you exactly why.  Be prepared for some disgusting facts, disturbing stories, and an awesome history of the industry and its "food."
One of the more alarming facts:  "A study recently found that one out of every five American toddlers eats French fries every day." !!!!!
(ISBN: 978-0-618-71031-7)