A review by library_kb
All You Knead Is Love by Tanya Guerrero

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-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

4.25

I really enjoyed this middle school novel which deals with some really tough topics in an approachable, and ultimately hopeful way. Alba gets sent to live with her grandma in Spain to get away from her abusive dad. She is dealing with anger at her mother, for staying in the situation and not getting out sooner, and dealing with some PTSD. As a way of dealing with her situation, she meets a bread baker and learns how to make bread, forming friends and relationships in the process. While the ending did feel a little wrapped up too neatly for me, I did think that the hopeful and positive ending was a good balance to many of the difficult things that are portrayed in this book and was appropriate for the age category. I appreciated the portrayal of Alba, who liked wearing clothes bought in the boys section and keeping her hair short, and how she dealt with people who made assumptions about her based on that. It also had great portrayal of Spanish and Filipino languages and cultures. Highly recommend! (Also, this made me want to travel to Spain SO MUCH--the setting descriptions were 100%) 
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