Reviews

Graines de cheffes by Ann Xu, Lily LaMotte

suspiciouspinecone's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted

3.75

Solid book. The plot was entertaining, the characters were sweet, and the art was pretty. This is also one of the first times I've seen a character experience a microagression from someone who isn't just an antagonist.

totallywickedruth333's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jencafardi's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book! This is a graphic novel about a 12 year old Taiwanese girl, Cici, who moves to Seattle. She misses her grandmother and enters a cooking contest to earn money for her to fly to Seattle for a birthday celebration. The story is about friendship, adjusting to a new culture, trying to understand herself/family. My daughter will enjoy reading this one.

fleabagb's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was such a fun read I did for school. It will definitely have to be one I get for on my shelves. All the recipes looked so yummy with the illustrations. The story and the plot were really nicely rounded too, i really enjoyed this read. The characters were really relatable too which is so nice to have. The art was just spot on!

hellocookie's review against another edition

5.0

A beautiful exploration of family, food, and finding your footing. Really exceptional and enjoyable!

booklover160's review against another edition

5.0

A delicious tale about a Taiwanese girl moving to America and wanting to bring her beloved grandmother for a visit. To do that, she sets a goal to win a cooking competition for the cash prize and learns about herself and her culture through food. I really liked Cici’s determination and drive to learn. I was so happy for her in the end and I just hope that she pursued cooking in her future. I liked seeing her complicated new relationships with the American kids and how she dealt with the incredible pressure her family put on her.

Overall, wonderful story with a wonderful message wrapped up in delicious food!

itselvv's review against another edition

قصة مصورة تناقش الهجرة والغربة بطريقة مختلفة، تنتقل بطلة القصة مع عائلتها من تايوان إلى الولايات المتحدة، وهناك، لا تشعر بأن ثقافة بلدها مفهومة، ولذلك، وكأي طفل، تُحرَج منها وتحاول اخفاءها، إلى أن تتعلم بنهاية القصة أننا قد لا نختلف كثيرًا عن بعضنا البعض، وأن الاختلاف يعطي الحياة معنى مختلف، وأبعاد أخرى أكثر جمالًا وامتاعًا.

القصة ناقشت العديد من المواضيع والمشاكل بشكل جدِّي، كاختلاف الثقافات، علاقة الأب بابنته وتعاليمه الصارمة التي وإن كانت تفيدها مستقبلًا فإنها تؤذي علاقتهما الآن، ضعف التواصل بين الاباء والابناء، التأقلم والتكيف مع البيئة الجديدة، واختلاف الاحلام والفرص والامكانيات. ولكن، ومع كل هذه الافكار، استطاعت الكاتبة المحافظة على نبرة قصص الأطفال، فلم تبد القصة صعبة أو كئيبة للنشء، ولم أشعر — من وجهة نظر بالغ — أنها تناولت المواضيع بسطحية، وتحقيق هذا التوازن لهو أمر شديد الصعوبة وتستحق الكاتبة الإشادة على إتقانها لذلك.

raheadley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

4.0

megdaven's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a reread for me because it’s part of the library’s upcoming community read. It is a middle grade graphic novel that satisfies you with laughter and tears. A Taiwanese immigrant girl does fairly well moving to America, albeit this book does a good job showing the effects of micro aggressions, but doesn’t  have enough money to bring her gma over for a visit. So she enters a cooking contest, and what transpires involves a hilarious portrayal of cooking show tropes, a Julia Child love affair, and an appreciating of her culture and cooking. 

heidisreads's review against another edition

4.0

My 3rd grader read this first and couldn’t stop talking about it so I read it, too and we both loved it. It made us want to look at recipes and try to cook something together.