Fast Five Fiction: Cooking!

 It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. October is National Cookbook month and we'll be hosting a Create Your Own Cookbook program on October 20. To get in the mood for cooking, today I'll be sharing five books & series that focus on cooking or baking. 

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

Love Sugar Magic series by Anna Meriano

Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.

Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake.

Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business—even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet.

And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong?

Cupcake Diaries series by Coco Simon

Middle school can be hard…some days you need a cupcake. Join Katie, Mia, Emma, and Alexis as they form the Cupcake Club—and fast friendships—and navigate the trials and tribulations of middle school in these sweet stories.

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

When eleven-year-old Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he's landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he's often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao.

To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.

All You Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero

Twelve-year-old Alba doesn't want to live with her estranged grandmother in Barcelona.

But her mother needs her to be far, far away from their home in New York City. Because this is the year that her mother is going to leave Alba's abusive father. Hopefully. If she's strong enough to finally, finally do it.

Alba is surprised to find that she loves Barcelona, forming a close relationship with her grandmother, meeting a supportive father figure, and making new friends. Most of all, she discovers a passion and talent for bread baking. When her beloved bakery is threatened with closure, Alba is determined to find a way to save it—and at the same time, she may just come up with a plan to make their family whole again.

Confectionately Yours series by Lisa Papademetriou

Confession: My life is soooo not sprinkles and sunshine...Hayley's world is far from perfect: Her parents have divorced, her mom has lost her job, and she and her sister Chloe are stuck sharing a bedroom in their grandmother's apartment. Luckily, Hayley has a knack for baking cupcakes -- and cupcakes always make life just a little sweeter! But when she and her best friend Artie start drifting apart, she realizes that it's going to take more than sugar and spice to make things nice.

Confession: Hayley's in another sticky situation . . .Hayley and her little sister, Chloe, have just moved into their grandmother's house with their mom, who recently divorced their dad and now runs the family's tea shop. With her knack for baking, Hayley helps out too, but her newfound talent seems to have cost her her best friend, Artie. Now Hayley's crushing on someone who might just be Artie's new boyfriend. This mess really takes the cake!



Happy Friday and happy reading!