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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
It's very YA. The story felt a bit cliche except for the mother's abuse. The happy ending of the bakery wasn't necessary. They should have found a different way to express their love of bread.
A really lovely story about family, trauma, and self-discovery. Barcelona is an amazing, vivid setting. Don't read without a croissant nearby!
This was fine. For me, there wasn't anything particularly memorable or that I loved about it, but it was enjoyable enough to listen to.
Sweet story. I’m glad I had the audio and the print edition for this one - especially for the sprinkles of the Spanish and Tagalog languages. The first chapter gave me reason to continue reading - why did Alba’s mom ship her off to her grandmother’s house? Then “Abuela Lola” was intriguing to me - she’s Spanish and Filipino. Alba was still lost at first in Barcelona, and as soon as she ran away to an alley and met Toni, the owner of a bakery, she became enamored with baking (and he provided support her abusive father did not). I liked watching Alba find herself, find who her mom really was, and figure out her relationship with others, yet I thought this went a bit quickly. I didn’t really have a sense of how much time had passed - including the flashbacks Alba had - so that could be why.
This story is like the inside of a loaf of fresh bread--warm and soft. Alba's mother sends her away to her grandmother in Barcelona, who Alba does not know. She feels like she's being thrown away-- her father is abusive and her mother is not demonstrative at all. Alba is 12 and feels totally unloved and lost. Luckily her grandmother is warm, loving, and has her own amazing found family in Barcelona. She owns a Chinese restaurant that is managed by a sweet family, and has the most amazing gay neighbors who are antique dealers with a costume collection! Alba gets to be part of her abuela's found family, and she accidentally meets Toni, who runs a bakery in the neighborhood, where she learns to make bread while she has insomnia in the wee hours. Toni was friends with Alba's mother years ago, and describes her as funny and vibrant-- not the mother that Alba knows at all! So when Alba's mother shows up in Barcelona, they get to know each other as humans a little bit better. There are some kids Alba's age who she befriends slowly, and who accept her unconditionally--and who encourage her genderqueer presentation which has been a bone of contention with her abusive father.
Alba's grandmother is Filipino and speaks Tagalog with friends in the book, and of course there is also some Spanish thrown in. It felt like being immersed in this wonderfully diverse neighborhood in Barcelona. The book is like a warm hug! It felt a big unrealistic that the father doesn't cause more trouble because those abusers always do-- but I suppose that is really more of a problem for the adults to deal with. CW for child abuse and spousal abuse on the page.
Alba's grandmother is Filipino and speaks Tagalog with friends in the book, and of course there is also some Spanish thrown in. It felt like being immersed in this wonderfully diverse neighborhood in Barcelona. The book is like a warm hug! It felt a big unrealistic that the father doesn't cause more trouble because those abusers always do-- but I suppose that is really more of a problem for the adults to deal with. CW for child abuse and spousal abuse on the page.
I think this is a great middle grade book. There are some heavy concepts and themes in it, but I think that they are all handled well.
Tweleve year old Alba doesn't want to leave New York to go live with estranged grandmother in Barcelona even though life at home isn't great with her dad's abusive comments towards her and her mother. But soon Alba finds that she likes living with her grandmother and the city of Barcelona itself; she starts making friends, building a family, and discovers her passion for baking bread. But when the bakery Alba has been assisting in is in danger of closing and her mother finally leaves her father Alba's world is shaken again. Unlike the old Alba this Alba is determined to find a way to save the bakery and find a way to have a relationship with her mother.
This book reminds me a lot of Summer of a Thousand Pies which I also loved. This book did a great job of showing how trauma can affect youth without being overbearing about it. I loved all of the bread making and the mixing of cultures. A great recommendation for a reader who likes baking/food, books set in another place, and/or books about overcoming a struggle.
This book reminds me a lot of Summer of a Thousand Pies which I also loved. This book did a great job of showing how trauma can affect youth without being overbearing about it. I loved all of the bread making and the mixing of cultures. A great recommendation for a reader who likes baking/food, books set in another place, and/or books about overcoming a struggle.
This is a story that really grips you by the heart. You feel everything that Alba feels from happiness and joy to anger and pain. You laugh and cry right along with her. You feel her rage and her hurt.
This story is one of belonging and acceptance and of never settling. Despite this book dealing with some extremely heavy subjects its done with such grace. You really feel and understand what is going through Alba's mind as she faces these things that she must go throw.
This book is one I wish I had growing up and I am glad I have it now. I am glad this book is going to be others for those who need it. I will be working to recommend this book not only to those who will enjoy it as I did but also to those who need this book.
This story is one of belonging and acceptance and of never settling. Despite this book dealing with some extremely heavy subjects its done with such grace. You really feel and understand what is going through Alba's mind as she faces these things that she must go throw.
This book is one I wish I had growing up and I am glad I have it now. I am glad this book is going to be others for those who need it. I will be working to recommend this book not only to those who will enjoy it as I did but also to those who need this book.
A very cute middle grade read that makes me want to bake bread 24/7. Easily recommended. Trigger warning: abusive husband