Salt and Sugar

Salt and Sugar
by Rebecca Carvalho

Salt and Sugar

Grades 6 & up

Romance

This is the first book by this author

Book Summary:
Lari and Pedro both have baking families, but they are sworn enemies - and their bakeries are across the street from each other in Olinda, Brazil. More and more family-owned businesses in their neighborhood are shutting their doors, and Lari is determined that hers won't be one of them - even if Pedro Molina and his family are using their best tricks to drive business away.

No matter what she says, Lari cannot convince her mother to teach her to cook or be involved with the business - Lari's job is to study hard and be the first in her family to go to college. Lari has two secrets to keep - she doesn't want to tell her mom that she has no interest in studying economics and really wants to learn to cook - but she also can't reveal to the president of her school cooking club (Pedro) that she's a complete novice.

Book Review:
It's refreshing to see a story set in Brazil, and cultural references sprinkled throughout the book (food, festivals, places) are presented often. It is nice to see a culture of volunteerism represented, too. Although the struggle between Pedro and his grandfather and the small businesses fighting against takeover are compelling, Lari was hard to root for. The family fights seemed too extreme, and she held on to grudges for a long time. It didn't seem realistic that Lari would be so disliked by her peers in class or treated with so much patience and attention in cooking club. It was frustrating to have so many conflicts that persisted solely because people didn't talk or listen to each other.

Part of the charm of reality cooking shows or shows like Project Runway is watching people work through the creative process, but for the big showdown here, we don't get to see much of the cooking preparation that would have been very satisfying to watch evolving. The main problem seemed to be too much of the same thing for too long, and all the pieces wrapped up too immediately when the resolution kicked in.

Although the characters are thinking about college, the writing style and content are simple and accessible for much younger readers - many fourth graders could read and appreciate this book, while older readers may prefer a more complicated plot.

"Nothing is going on?" I cross my arms. "Then why is your grandfather furiously throwing pastries around at Deals Deals? Why is your mother shouting in the middle of the street that she'd rather sell Sugar than work with my mother?"
p. 153