middle grade fiction

serving up ruth starke’s noodle pie

~ jama ~ 3 Comments

“Food seemed to trigger the strongest memories for his father. As he strolled around, his nose was constantly twitching in appreciation.” ~ from Noodle Pie by Ruth Starke

In Noodle Pie, East meets West: Vietnamese pho and Aussie meat pie (photos by LiY!n and Filor).

Who could resist a book called Noodle Pie?

Certainly not me. I’m so glad that in January 2010, Kane Miller published an American edition of this funny, engaging, and yes, totally delicious middle grade novel by award-winning Australian author Ruth Starke.

It satisfied my cravings for a little armchair travel, colorful characters, a bounty of ethnic food and family togetherness. Moreover, it taught me a lot about Vietnamese culture as seen through the eyes of almost-twelve-year-old Andy Nguyen, who visits Hanoi with his father for the first time.

DELICIOUS PREMISE

Andy is excited about his first plane ride, passport, and the chance to meet his dad’s side of the family. Growing up, he heard stories about how his father fled the country after the fall of Saigon and settled in Australia. It is a poignant visit for his dad, who’s anxious to be reunited with his family, but he’s beholden to them and painfully aware of their high expectations.

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recette pour un livre magnifique (recipe for a magnificent book)!

~ jama ~ 1 Comment

“At 8:30 the Morlaisses had supper. The menu was always the same: soup. Soup is easy to digest, it makes you grow, and it guarantees a good night’s sleep — that is, if it is salt- and pepper-free, of course.” ~ Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern


      photo of Susie by styeb.

Well, I never thought this would happen in a million years.

I just read a story where I was actually glad when the main character stopped eating soup every night!

Just one of the many things that amazed me about Secret Letters from 0 to 10 by Susie Morgenstern (Putnam, 1998). Where have I been? Why hadn’t I ever encountered this multiple award winning gem before, or read anything else by Ms. Morgenstern? I loved loved this book — it totally satisfied my cravings for a deliciously engrossing, moving, masterfully crafted middle grade novel with a French twist.

And I owe it all to amazing author Anne Mazer, who answered my call for books set in France. So large is my love for this book, that it’s going to be really hard not using exclamation marks !!! after every sentence in this post!!

Breathe. Focus. Relax.

Secret Letters was originally written in French and translated by Gill Rosner. Seems both Susie (originally from New Jersey) and Gill live in Nice, France (my French Riviera envy is off the scale), and the book has won sixteen international awards including Le Prix Totem (French equivalent of the Newbery). Ooh-la-la!

Ten-year-old Ernest Morlaisse lives a very unadventurous, isolated life with his 80-year-old grandmother, Precious, who is a prisoner of the past. They rarely speak to each other as they follow their regimented, solitary routines each day. There are no friends, no TV or telephone, and for Ernest, no going out anywhere except for school. All this abruptly changes when Victoria de Montardent, a new girl in class, bulldozes her way into Ernest’s deprived existence.

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sweet read: the sisters club: rule of three by megan mcdonald

~ jama ~ 2 Comments

“Knife, fork, spoon.

Rock, paper, scissors.

Lights, camera, action.

Everywhere you look, things come in threes. It’s the Rule of Three.”

And I love love love the three Reel sisters: Alex (13), Stevie (11), and Joey (9).

As a rule, I read anything and everything by Megan McDonald. As a longtime Judy Moody and Stink fan, I was pleased as punch when I came across The Sisters Club: Rule of Three (Candlewick, 2009).

♥ Megan McDonald + cupcakes = recipe for perfection. ♥

In this second title of the wildly popular series, Alex and Stevie fiercely compete against each other for the lead in the school musical, “Once Upon a Mattress.” Trying out is a big step for middle sister Stevie, a peace-loving, behind-the-scenes type who’s always let Alex (Actor-with-a-Capital-A Drama Queen) bask in the spotlight. But singing is Stevie’s thing, so why shouldn’t she, just this once, take her turn at center stage?

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soup of the day (and a giveaway): it’s raining cupcakes by lisa schroeder!

~ jama ~ 4 Comments

Weather Forecast for alphabet soup and vicinity: Mostly sunny with periods of heavy cupcake rain. Sugar highs astronomical with cheers blowing in from all directions. Frosting and sprinkles overnight north and west of town.

Grab your umbrellas, everyone — it’s cupcake weather!

I am sooooooo excited that It’s Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder (S&S/Aladdin, 2010) is officially out today! Truly, this middle grade novel has my name written all over it, and I’m here to shout its praises from the highest rooftops.

Will you just look at that cover? *lick lick* Scrumptious and then some. If it’s got you anticipating a deliciously fun, uplifting story that will leave you comforted, inspired, and totally satisfied, you will not be disappointed. Just wait till you begin reading — each chapter is named after a different cupcake flavor: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes, Coconut Mango Cupcakes, and my personal favorite, Hawaiian Sky Cupcakes! ☺

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the best restaurant of all: cynthia rylant’s van gogh cafe

~ jama ~ 13 Comments


Why, hello!

Hope you had a grand Christmas. Glad you stopped in. Take a seat while I gently brush the cookie crumbs off your face. Please help yourself to a cup of coffee or tea and some buttermilk pancakes with scrambled eggs, cheddar, ham and green onions.

via pink_fish13

The last week of December is a funny, in-between kind of place. We’re saying goodbye to the old year while gearing up for the new. Pictured above is Vincent van Gogh’s favorite café in Arles, France. He immortalized it in his oil painting, “Café Terrace at Night,” (aka, “The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum”).

“Café Terrace at Night” (1888) lives at the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands.

In a letter to his sister, Van Gogh mentions how pleased he is to do a night painting without the use of black. The golden light from the lantern illuminates the terrace, facade, sidewalk and paving stones. This was the first time he used a starry background in a painting.

When I first read Cynthia Rylant’s beautifully crafted collection of vignettes more than 10 years ago, I didn’t realize there was a real Café Van Gogh. All I knew was that I wanted to visit the cafe she had created in Flowers, Kansas, for hers was a place of magic and miracles — an  obligatory stop for anyone searching for a reason to believe.

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