Review: A Spoonful of Time

Written by Flora Ahn

Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2023. Fiction. 271 pages.

Maya's grandmother is visiting and Maya spends most of the day with her grandmother while her mother is at work. Maya quickly learns that her grandmother likes to cook Korean food and one day as they are eating a Korean dish her grandmother has prepared, she and her grandmother are magically transported back in time. Maya has so many questions after they return home. She learns from her grandmother that some of the women in her family have a special ability to revisit moments from their past using food to time travel to a specific memory. Maya's grandmother can feel the memory, focus on it and visit a place or time from her past. Maya wants so badly to tell her best friend Jada about her discovery, but first she must find out if she also has the gift to cook and travel back in time --because nobody would believe her story unless she could prove that it was true.

A fun aspect of this book is all of the Korean recipes that are sprinkled throughout. Each time Maya's grandmother teaches her something new to cook, the reader can find the recipe and make it at home if they want. This story about culture, family, family secrets, and connections that grow and change throughout a person's life was inspiring and heartwarming. This is a book for anyone who likes cooking, good food, family memories, and Korean cuisine.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog