Hello everyone! How's Monday going? I'm starting the week working morning shift (ugh!) but I have a pair of reviews of books I loved to start the week right!
The first Mark This Book Monday post is all about one of the books I took on my unplugging weekend stack and one that I absolutely loved! It's another one of the MG recommendations from Wendy from The Midnight Garden, and another success! Thank you, Wendy!
All Four Stars by Tara Dairman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I hadn't been reading much MG as of late, not till I decided to join The Midnight Garden's Classic MG/YA reads challenge! And then I started reading a few more MG books and rediscovered my love for them! So when Wendy recommended I read this one, I preordered it immediately!
The moment I started this one I fell in love with Gladys and her love for food and cooking, and felt really bad for her and her parents' lack of worry about what they were feeding their daughter. Take out and microwave meals all the time? The way Gladys' parents talk about food and cooking made me wince, and I'm a bit lazy when it comes to cooking sometimes too!
Food is extremely important in this book, mainly cause it's Gladys' passion but we also get a look at Gladys' school life, where she deals with her own lack of friends and changes of status and popularity. It was lovely seeing her growing out of her own self-imposed limitations and finding her self coming out of her shell and not leaving behind her passion.
I loved reading all the descriptions of foods and recipes and restaurants, and it gave me a massive craving for carrot halwa, to the point of making me want to make it, since neither of the Indian restaurants here have it on their menu! The talk about different desserts made me itch for baking some, even with the damned heat!
Gladys find herself being offered a job after a bit of homework finds its way into the wrong paper pile. From then on she has to make sure she finds a way to juggle school, her newly appointed job and making sure she stays within the lines of the restrictions her parents put on her after the disaster of the créme brulee.
Adorable, sweet and delightful, a book that will brighten the darkest of days and that will convince the pickiest of eaters (maybe, hopefully?) that food is something to be enjoyed and trying new things is almost always a food thing!
Well deserved 4.5 stars to this one, and now I cannot wait to see what the author will have in stock for us in the next book, and what food I'll be craving madly after reading it!
View all my reviews
The first Mark This Book Monday post is all about one of the books I took on my unplugging weekend stack and one that I absolutely loved! It's another one of the MG recommendations from Wendy from The Midnight Garden, and another success! Thank you, Wendy!
All Four Stars by Tara DairmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I hadn't been reading much MG as of late, not till I decided to join The Midnight Garden's Classic MG/YA reads challenge! And then I started reading a few more MG books and rediscovered my love for them! So when Wendy recommended I read this one, I preordered it immediately!
The moment I started this one I fell in love with Gladys and her love for food and cooking, and felt really bad for her and her parents' lack of worry about what they were feeding their daughter. Take out and microwave meals all the time? The way Gladys' parents talk about food and cooking made me wince, and I'm a bit lazy when it comes to cooking sometimes too!
Food is extremely important in this book, mainly cause it's Gladys' passion but we also get a look at Gladys' school life, where she deals with her own lack of friends and changes of status and popularity. It was lovely seeing her growing out of her own self-imposed limitations and finding her self coming out of her shell and not leaving behind her passion.
I loved reading all the descriptions of foods and recipes and restaurants, and it gave me a massive craving for carrot halwa, to the point of making me want to make it, since neither of the Indian restaurants here have it on their menu! The talk about different desserts made me itch for baking some, even with the damned heat!
Gladys find herself being offered a job after a bit of homework finds its way into the wrong paper pile. From then on she has to make sure she finds a way to juggle school, her newly appointed job and making sure she stays within the lines of the restrictions her parents put on her after the disaster of the créme brulee.
Adorable, sweet and delightful, a book that will brighten the darkest of days and that will convince the pickiest of eaters (maybe, hopefully?) that food is something to be enjoyed and trying new things is almost always a food thing!
Well deserved 4.5 stars to this one, and now I cannot wait to see what the author will have in stock for us in the next book, and what food I'll be craving madly after reading it!
View all my reviews
All the raving reviews for this one have me HUNGRY!!! The one thing I am worried about going in are her parents because I don't want them to be portrayed negatively .-.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you enjoyed this one, Pili!!! :)
Lovely review!
Rashika @ The Social Potato
Well, the parents are your typical working parents that love fast food and the microwave... You kind of wonder how a child would develop such a love for food from a house when quick & easy was the way to go... But I wouldn't say it's very negative at all. And yes, the book will make you HUNGRYYYYY!!
DeleteSo much Middle Grade! This is excellent though, I feel like I definitely don't read nearly enough. I should join reading challenges, honestly. They enrich the reading, for sure!
ReplyDeleteI saw "food", "recipes", and "restaurants" in your review... O_O
Fabulous review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
This book not only is adorable but it will make you hungry for sure!! =D
DeleteGreat review Pili. <3 I am so glad you loved this book too. Wasn't it just so so adorable? :D I enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed fantastic! I cannot wait to read whatever Tara writes next!
DeleteAw, I'm so happy you loved the book, Pili! I mean, baking and clever girl who loves words, if that isn't right up your alley, I don't know what is, hah. Gladys is just adorable and I just want to put her in my pocket. Or in the kitchen, where she could make delicious things for me all the time.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden
Absolutely! This story was calling my name for sure!!
DeleteI'd totally be tempted to put Gladys to work in my kitchen so I could have creme brulee and sushi and carrot halwa... though I'd end up worrying about children labour!! ;)
Thank you soooo much for putting this one on my radar!