It probably doesn’t surprise you that membership at gyms is the highest in January, with all that “New year, new you!” nonsense in the air and resolutions being bandied about willy nilly. What may come as a surprise, though, is people who frequent the gym are 18% more likely to eat chocolate. Mmm, glorious, creamy, delectable chocolate. As a runner who justifies stuffing her face with sweets with the fact that I logged a measly 1-2 miles, I completely understand this statistic. Since most of you out in Podcast Land are probably in a sugar coma after the holidays and doing your darndest to avoid the sweet stuff, I thought I’d focus on guilt-free treats that everyone can enjoy - books about dessert.
Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of Happy Reading, a podcast about fabulous kid lit titles organized by theme. Most of the books I gush about will be middle grade fiction, but I may sneak some young adult fiction and picture books into the mix once in awhile. I’m Sarah Threlkeld, an elementary school librarian, former 6th grade reading teacher, and lover of books. I love to touch books, to smell books, to read books, to give books as gifts - you get the picture. I am fortunate enough to be married to a man who also loves books, although he has very different tastes, and we have a 8 month old daughter, who I desperately hope will love books as much as I do. She got a public library card when she was 5 days old and her bookcase is overflowing, so I think we’re off to a good start.
My hope with this podcast is that, whether you are a kid, a parent, a teacher, a librarian, or just someone with a passion and love for children’s lit, you will discover a new title or two that you are itching to get your hands on and perhaps be inspired to revisit books you’d forgotten about. Let’s dig in!
As a child of the 80’s, I have a long-standing, deep-seated love for the film version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder. Just thinking about the opening credits starts my mouth watering. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I sat down to read Dahl’s tale and, thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. As a side note, I recently learned that I had been pronouncing Dahl’s first name incorrectly for the last 30 plus years; the correct Norwegian pronunciation is “Roo-all.” I bet your brain just exploded. But I digress. Back to the book! Dahl is a master at describing people and places, allowing readers to visualize characters and settings in great detail. Here’s a taste of Dahl’s brilliance:
- Excerpt
Oh, that dapper, spry Mr. Wonka! What I wouldn’t give to spend a day with him in his factory! If you aren’t familiar with the story, here it is in a nutshell: Willy Wonka is an eccentric recluse who owns a very successful chocolate factory. He decides to send five Golden Tickets out into the world, wrapped around candy bars, and whomever is lucky enough to find a ticket gets to go on a tour of the factory and win a lifetime supply of chocolate. Five very excited children show up to claim their prize, and perhaps steal a secret or two for a competing candy company, and one by one they succumb to terrible fates due to their greed until only Charlie is left, but even he has his flaws. Will Charlie win the ultimate prize or be sent home empty-handed? What really happened to the other nasty children? Is Mr. Wonka a sweet, chocolate-loving man or a lunatic? Grab a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and your favorite treat and find out.
Book 2 - Pie by Sarah Weeks
I admit it, I am not a lover of pie, but after reading this quirky mystery I wanted to try out a couple of the recipes that are included in this book. The small town of Ipswitch, Pennsylvania is known for one thing - pie. Alice’s Aunt Polly owns a small pie shop and people come from all over the country to indulge in a sweet slice. Then Aunt Polly up and dies and everyone wonders what will happen to the bakery and, more importantly, to Polly’s top secret pie crust recipe. People will do just about anything to get their hands on that recipe and it’s up to Alice, along with her good friend Charlie, to protect it, even if they have to risk their lives to do so. Quirky characters and deliciously detailed descriptions make this a thoroughly satisfying read. You’ll want to devour this head-scratching mystery in one sitting, most likely while indulging in a slice of pie. Here’s an excerpt that will leave you with a hankering for the sweet stuff:
- Excerpt
Book 3 - A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff
Next up on the menu is A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff, one of the most satisfying magic realism reads of the past few years. The cover alone, with an image of a waving girl in a hot air balloon floating away from a sunset picnic made up almost solely of cake, will make you want to snatch this book off the shelf and gobble it up.
Cady is the only girl left living at Miss Mallory’s Home for Lost Girls, an orphanage in upstate New York, and if you ever wanted to track her down she’d most certainly be found in the kitchen mixing together a most extraordinary cake. Let’s take a peek at what she’s whipping up right now:
- Excerpt
Yep, you heard that correctly. Cady has the special ability, or Talent with a capital T, as it’s referred to in this book, to spend a minute or two with someone and know exactly what kind of cake will satisfy them beyond measure. As someone who owns over 80 baking cookbooks, this is the kind of talent I can get behind!
Early on in A Tangle of Knots Cady leaves Miss Mallory’s and finds herself living in the Lost Luggage Emporium in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she meets an intriguing group of strangers who are all connected to her somehow, much like a piece of yarn or string that has become tangled together. This tale of exceptional and unique talents, a devious thief and one mysterious powder-blue suitcase is woven together seamlessly and by the end of it your mouth will be hanging open in awe of how Lisa Graff so effortlessly shows us how fate plays a role in our lives. Bon appetit!
Book 4 - A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd includes two things that make me ridiculously happy: ice cream and interesting words. The protagonist, Felicity Pickle, sees words all around her, floating in the sky, swirling around people and things like vapor. Words like whimsy, boundless, and wonderstruck. Sometimes she meets someone and immediately knows what kind of person they are or how they are feeling by the words whirling around them.
After spending her life moving from place to place, Felicity’s mom decides to return to her hometown of Midnight Gulch, and Felicity thinks she may have finally found a place that feels like home. Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place where its citizens could sing up thunderstorms, catch stars in jars, and even make people fall in love, but somewhere along the way that magic disappeared. Or did it? Maybe it’s just been hiding, waiting for the right person to set it free. Maybe that person is Felicity.
And what about the ice cream, you may be asking? Well, other than magic, Midnight Gulch is also famous for its ice cream factory, where Felicity’s mama happens to get a job, and it will play a key role in helping Felicity unlock that dormant magic.
Here are two excerpts to give you just a taste of why I talk up A Snicker of Magic to just about every kid in my library:
- Excerpts
Book 5 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Since I practically have chocolate running through my veins, I thought it only fitting that I begin and end my recommendations with books about the food of the gods. Sure, The Candymakers by Wendy Mass takes place in a factory that produces more than just chocolate, but, really, everyone knows chocolate is the ultimate treat. Much like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Candymakers revolves around a spectacular contest and a group of children vying for a grand prize. Instead of just touring the factory, however, the four young characters are attempting to invent a brand new candy that will wow the pants off the head candymaker of the Life is Sweet candy company. All four of the candy lovers are also hiding something from the other contestants. Let’s savor the suspenseful first chapter together:
- Excerpt
Reading that makes me want to devour The Candymakers again before cracking open the sequel that was released a few months ago.
Well, there you have it, five deliciously sweet middle grade books that will satisfy even the pickiest of readers and leave them rummaging through the pantry for a cookie or long-forgotten chocolate bar. Of course, there are many other wonderful titles out there, including The Truth About Twinkie Pie, one of my favorite YA novels of the past few years, A Fine Dessert, a fascinating picture book that chronicles the evolution of American families through the lens of blackberry fool, and the nonfiction book Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to the first episode of the Happy Reading podcast. I hope you discovered a few titles to add to your TBR list or to share with the readers in your life. If you know of other tasty dessert-themed middle grade books, please shoot me an email at happpyrdng@gmail.com or find me on Twitter under the username HappyRdng. You can find a transcript of this episode on my website, www.happyrdng.blogspot.com. Until next time, happy reading!
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