Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I probably wouldn’t have exerted myself to blog again today, given that I just got home from more than four hours volunteering at my kids’ elementary school, but Tara Dairman’s Stars So Sweet is due and not renewable by 9 tonight, and if I don’t review books BEFORE they go back to the library, there’s no telling when I might get around to it. Look at me getting forced back on track!

Anyway–the book. Dairman’s ‘Stars’ trilogy has made for a lovely reading aloud experience for my 13-year-old and me, and Stars So Sweet brings it to an end in a completely satisfying way. We see Gladys starting middle school and getting better at socializing in ways that suit her foodie personality; we also see her considering both her own career and her relationships with her family in ultimately healthy ways. (And in case that sounds boring, we have Sandy’s search for a legacy appropriate to an elementary-aged boy AND lines like “Gladys felt like a mini hot dog, all wrapped up in a puff pastry of love,” which was pretty hilarious to read aloud to a new teenager.) You’ll cheer for Gladys, her family, and friends; you’ll wish you were eating with them, too. If you like food, writing, or E.L. Konigsburg-y characters, don’t miss this trilogy!