Sweets to tempt away a bitter spirit, pastries that bring emotions to the surface, family recipes and secrets to ignore or embrace…
Welcome to Hungry Heart Row, that multicultural neighborhood just across the Yarrow River from a bustling city – an eclectic collection of shops, apartments, and restaurants that reflect new tastes and old flavors, longstanding family traditions and recent changes, tales often-told and episodes never before shared.
I rarely re-read fiction because there’s so much in my to-be-read queue, but I found myself enjoying entire stories once again as I dipped back into Hungry Hearts to find morsels to tempt you with!
This yummy anthology includes interconnected stories by Elsie Chapman, Caroline Tung Richmond, Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, Rin Chupeco, Anna-Marie McLemore, Rebecca Roanhorse, Sara Farizan, Jay Coles, Adi Alsaid, Sangu Mandanna, Phoebe North and Karuna Riazi (meet all the authors here on the publisher’s webpage).
Cooking from the heart – what’s your favorite dish? **kmm
Book info: Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love / edited by Elsie Chapman & Caroline Tung Richmond. Simon Pulse, 2019. [Elsie’s site] [Caroline’s IG] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Graduated from med school at 16,
the youngest doctor in America!
(still no driver license…)
As “Genius Girl” Saira begins her internship in pediatric oncology, she expects to be challenged by medical situations – not a hostile hospital supervisor or or failing the driving test yet again or falling in love with a patient.
Link thought she was another ‘cancer kid’ and doesn’t react well when he finds out she’s actually a doctor on his ward. Maybe he’ll let her help with his music competition online anyway.
Chemo, radiation, bone marrow donation – the terms and realities and after-effects play out among the young patients in the three interns’ caseload. And there are only 2 spots in the residency to follow…
How can she reconcile how the accounting department and medical teams see patients’ cancer treatment options so differently?
If Link’s treatment doesn’t work, how can she deal with being his last love when he is her first?
How will her extended Indian-American family react when they discover that Vish has been her ‘boyfriend’ so long because he’s not ready to come out?
Cancer has touched us all – what are you doing to help? **kmm
Book info: Symptoms of a Heartbreak / Sona Charaipotra. Imprint (Macmillan), 2019. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
The players are on the field,
concession stand is busy –
time to play ball!
Ryan lives and breathes her family’s minor league baseball team every summer, planning to become the first female general manager in the league after college.
Young players don’t stay in the minors long on their way up to the Texas Rangers in the big leagues, so Ryan swears she’ll never date one, but there’s something about just- arrived Campbell…
Whoa! Mom wants to sell out her half of the team?! Even though it’s hard work to get sponsors and pay the bills, the 17 year old loves what the team brings to their small Texas town and will find a way to stop this!
Happy book birthday today to Stealing Home!
How hard would you work to save your family’s dream? **kmm
Book info: Stealing Home / Becky Wallace. Page Street Publishing, 2019. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
Hiding out in a new town,
new name, old worries,
if anyone ever finds out about Daddy…
After her dad is imprisoned for computer fraud, his lawyer helps Becca and her mom forge new identities in a faraway town. But it’s going to be so hard for the teen to keep their secret when her future after high school depends on her academic past.
How far should innocent family members suffer for a criminal’s actions?
**kmm
Book info: Full Ride / Margaret Peterson Haddix. Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013 (hardcover), 2014 (paperback). [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: The certainty of college for Becca starts slipping away the moment her father is convicted of computer crimes, just before she starts high school. Racing far away from his Atlanta prison (ten years!?), she and Mom take their new identities (courtesy of Daddy’s lawyer) to an Ohio suburb and lay low.
Three staying-unremarkable years later, it’s time for SATs and college choices, and Becca decides to visit her dream school Vanderbilt (Daddy’s favorite) as her friends tour Southern universities.
How can she pay for any college without completing financial aid forms?
Could she win the Court Scholarship – a full ride?
But what if it’s one of Daddy’s scams that kept money in hiding?
Who to trust, how to live so that no one connects them with Daddy’s nationally reported crimes, how to think about a future past high school – Becca and Mom think they have it under control, but…
Endure dead-end hometown one last summer,
escape to art school and freedom…
if only it were that easy.
Skylar can’t leave her alcoholic mother now, doesn’t want Josh to face his PTSD alone, but how can she give up her dream of college?
This strong novel tackles questions of responsibility and abandonment, duty and fear, almost-good-enough and too-good-to-abandon as Sky’s narrative is punctuated with Josh’s often-anguished thoughts.
Don’t miss the author’s letter to the reader here and the book’s first chapters that she shares for free.
Have you known a serviceperson who returned from war-front duty unchanged?
**kmm
Book info: I’ll Meet You There / Heather Demetrios. Henry Holt, 2015. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: As Skylar endures one last summer before college, her growing attraction to a young Marine disabled overseas and her mother’s inability to cope with life could strand the teen artist in her rural California hometown.
Math-genius Chris and artistic Sky have vowed to escape this agricultural backwater, heading for opposite coasts on big scholarships in just a few months. It’ll be hard leaving best friend Dylan (who’s never known that Chris adores her) and her baby, but it would be unbearable to stay in Creek View.
Sky and Chris drop by the as-usual-drunk weekend party to welcome home her former co-worker just returned from Afghanistan, but no one told her that brash, womanizing Josh had left his leg behind, as well as his self-confidence.
Counting down the days until she leaves for college, Sky is stunned when Mom loses her fast-food job and crawls back into the booze bottle where she’d retreated for so long when Dad died in a drunk-driving wreck.
Josh begins working at the Paradise hotel with Sky again, between therapy appointments, and they fall into an uneasy companionship that could become something more. Motel-owner Marge’s son died in the war before she moved here, so she understands when Josh suddenly freezes as a car backfires nearby.
The parts are coming together in the collage that Sky’s creating for Marge – more of the ‘California quirky’ that’s making the Paradise its own destination – but Sky can’t put her mom’s life back on track, can’t figure out where she and Josh fit into one another’s lives, and can’t see how she can give up her dreams or go after them either. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)
Some time left in high school…
What about the future?
What are your choices?
How to decide?!
Figuring out now what you don’t want to do later can keep you from spending money, time, and your dreams on the wrong opportunities.
Even if you have your post-high-school track planned out as a freshman or sophomore, it’ll be worth your while to work through the options available with this clear and helpful guide.
While you can check out Undecided at your local library, better that you buy your own copy (choose an independent bookstore, please) because you will use it so much.
What path are you envisioning for life after high school?
**kmm
Book info: Undecided: Navigating Life and Learning After High School / Genevieve Morgan. Zest Books, 2014. [author site] [publisher site] [TEDx talk by author] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: Your required /exciting/ mind-numbing high school years will eventually end – what next? Time to dig into your personality, dreams, and motivations to determine what you should try after graduation day.
Before jumping into all the options available, first assess your temperament, personality traits, and operating mode, then work through some questions to help you solidify your own vision of what you might want to do and in what style – the big picture.
Along with the section which helps you clarify intentions and create plans, you’ll find ways to research the education/work pathways you might take, how to compare college programs, insight into civil service and military training, and tips on talking to your parents about your choices.
Profiles of successful folks are included in each chapter, as are reflections by people who have tried the different school and work paths noted.
Whether you expect life after high school to be entrepreneurship, traveling during a gap year, service to your country, or traditional college years, the questions to consider and resources included in this book will take you from Undecided to prepared and excited. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)
Unfair things bother you, a lot.
It’s time to do something about it!
But how to make it happen?
If you have an idea for fixing the world, jumpstart it by getting this book at your local library or favorite independent bookstore, and visit the Be a Changemaker website to share your stories and questions.
How are YOU going to change our world for the better?
**kmm
Book info: Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters / Laurie Ann Thompson. Beyond Words/Simon Pulse, 2014. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: Ever gotten so angry about something that you vowed to make it right? Started a great helping project, but run out of ideas or enthusiasm? Get good advice on making a difference in the world from those who’ve tried, failed, and then succeeded so that you can devote your energies to your cause.
Each chapter begins by profiling a youth-led nonprofit group along with their challenges and successes. Be sure that you think through your passions, skills, and the problem that’s bothering you before jumping into your venture. Learn how to work the media, plan a stellar event, and avoid burnout so that your idea goes the distance.
With good research, a dream team and adult mentor who share your vision, and savvy planning, you can truly Be a Changemaker and make positive things happen with the tools and tips in this book. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)
Holly loves the wedding chapel that she inherits, but her late Grandpa’s hidden debts and his stipulation that she befriend the (so handsome) grandson of their arch-rival chapel owner… what’s a girl to do?
This novel is a twist on the expected Romeo and Juliet scenario, with the addition of divorced parents, teens concocting strategies to help the “wrong” chapel get more business, and all the wackiness of Las Vegas leading up to Valentine’s Day.
What’s the craziest wedding you’ve ever attended?
**kmm
Book info: The Chapel Wars / Lindsey Leavitt. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: It’s up to 16 year old Holly to save her family’s wedding chapel from the wrecking ball, with or without the help of their arch-rival’s adorable grandson – only in Vegas!
Holly has always loved the hopeful possibilities in a wedding – must be why Grandpa Jim willed the Rose of Sharon Chapel to her. But he also left her a huge debt which must be paid in full soon and a letter addressed to Dax, whose sneering granddad owns the rival wedding chapel next door!
Having Dax so near makes it hard for Holly to concentrate on what’s important – saving the chapel, getting her just-divorced parents back together, keeping the peace with her older sister and volatile younger brother.
As the loan payment day nears, Dax, Holly, and all her friends go all-out to get new business for the chapel. Maybe there’s hope after all. Maybe there’s hope for Holly and Dax, too! (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)
No one gets to college knowing how to do everything, so Blair has compiled great hints and advice to get you through everything from roommates to homesickness.
Check out this handy, pocket-sized hardback book at your local library for your own personal education, or buy it at an independent bookstore for a graduation present or gift of encouragement to a current student.
What life skill tops your list of things to know?
**kmm
Book info: Stuff Every College Student Should Know / Blair Thornburgh. Quirk Books, 2014. [author site] [publisher site] [author interview podcast] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My book talk: College brings new challenges and opportunities, but how can you learn the best way to accomplish things? This pocket guide gives you concise information about all aspects of your campus experience – from dorm living and personal care to academics and social life to money and the real world.
You can be a better roommate, cook without a microwave (yes, it’s possible), form a useful study group, and pass a test that you forgot to study for.
Learn how to deal with a long-distance relationship, stress, or homesickness. Know how to be smart with your first credit card and why you should interview the landlord of any apartment that you’re considering renting.
Scan through all the many entries, including how to pack for Spring Break, avoid going broke on textbooks, and good verbs to use on your resume, and you’ll be ready for many of the new situations that college life brings.
Thinking about babysitting to make money?
Can you tolerate runny noses and poopy diapers?
Are you calm in emergency situations?
Ready to fold paper hats or read a bedtime story?
With the advice and skills in this book, you can become a better sitter as you advertise and run your own business providing an important service for parents and families in your community.
So update your infant and children CPR training, practice your pattycakes and freeze tag skills, and keep both eyes on the kiddos with your cellphone in your pocket for emergencies on the job.
As a mom, grandmother, and former babysitter, I think that Don’t Sit on the Baby is a great addition to your sitter’s bag, along with the storybooks, washable markers, and origami paper. Get it today at your local independent bookstore and ask your library to get a copy so other sitters can be prepared, too.
**kmm
Book info: Don’t Sit On the Baby: The Ultimate Guide to Sane, Skilled, and and Safe Babysitting / Halley Bondy. Zest Books, 2012. [author’s website] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
My Book Talk: Babysitting can be a great way for teens to earn money and gain skills for future jobs. Use the advice and fun hints in this guide to get ready for the unique challenges of caring for children while learning how to balance their fun and safety, too.
First off, take the quiz in chapter one to see if your personality is suited for being a sitter. The author is very honest about the messes and possible behaviors of newborns, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and grade-school kids. Certification in infant and child CPR is a must for any potential sitter. Keeping parents up-to-date on possible concerns about kids’ health and behavior is part of the job, too.
Diapers and potties are part of any sitting job, as is safety in the house and outside. Important issues covered include being prepared for emergencies, creative playtime, feeding hungry kids, homework help, dealing with tantrums, bathing kids safely, and getting them to sleep.
Enjoy “Tales From the Crib” recounted by teen sitters, like the lengthy question-and-answer game to find something (anything!) that a toddler would eat, an unstoppable smoke alarm, and the four-year-old who discussed how her boyfriend proposed marriage on the playground.
Since sitting involves money, this book also includes advice on how to advertise, interviewing with parents, deciding how much to charge, your income tax obligations, and how to gracefully resign. An annotated list of websites about sitter training, emergency information, and kid-friendly entertainment ideas rounds out this great guide to a popular and important teen job. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)
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Hiding out in a new town,
Thinking about babysitting to make money?