Amy Bronwen Zemser

Vastly entertaining novel about Elaine, a shy reticent teenager whose greatest passion is cooking and following in the footsteps of her culinary idol, Julia Child. (Elaine's walls are plastered with pictures of Julia rather than teenybop boy bands.) It takes wacky new friend Lucida Sans and Elaine's delightfully chaotic family of brothers to help Elaine find the courage to make her culinary dreams come true at a national competition. The descriptions of recipes and Elaine's cooking techniques add special--well, FLAVOR--to this story.… (más)

Charming YA novel about a teen whose life ambition is to cook, and who has been secretly writing letters to her idol, Julia Child since she was 6 years old. But she’s never gotten an answer. That’s to be expected, since Elaine Hamilton is far too shy to actually mail the letters. Her mother, an elected official, is horrified at the thought her daughter would aspire to “domesticity” vs a profession. But Elaine follows her dream. At age six Elaine begins to rise early to prepare breakfast and pack lunches for herself and her younger siblings. By the time she’s in third grade she is preparing dinner from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Now she is an awkward high school student with no friends, and a tendency to use extremely formal language when she feels stressed. But at a community fair she comes across a girl who is completely opposite – Isadora Fischburger (now known as Lucida Sans) is convinced she will be known for her talent (if she can just find which talent). She’s exuberant and fearless, a real individualist. Their friendship will temper each of their personalities.

I enjoyed this gentle coming-of-age story. I did think the adults, in particular Elaine’s mother, were not really sufficiently fleshed out. The relationships between the teens and adults, as a result, didn’t ring true, and the conclusion was just a little too neatly tied up in a ribbon. Still, it’s nice to read a YA book that does not rely on witches, werewolves, ghosts, goblins, etc.… (más)