February 1, 2023
Maya and her maternal grandmother use food to travel to the past. For most of seventh grader Maya's life, it's been just her and her exhausted mom living in their quiet house in Southern California. But then, several months ago, Halmunee, who has dementia, came to live with them. Halmunee is an incredible cook, and she encourages Maya to help her make Korean dishes. One day, while they are eating patbingsu, Halmunee transports them to the Seoul of Maya's mother's childhood, where Maya sees younger versions of her mom and grandparents enjoying the sweet Korean shaved ice treat. Halmunee explains that she has the power to return to moments in the past through food memories. Together they cook and eat their ways through moments in Halmunee's past. Maya longs for a stronger connection to Korea and her family's history, and she uncovers more secrets--until an unexpected realization makes her question everything. Full of twists, this middle-grade story is a heartwarming mix of food and family. Maya struggles with fixating on the past, ignoring her friends and schoolwork in the present, something those grappling with letting go of mistakes or regrets will understand. Exactly how time travel works is unclear even for the characters, however, making it difficult and confusing for readers as well. Halmunee's memories are an homage to Korean food and culture, and there are recipes interspersed for readers to try. A charming time-travel story with delectable descriptions of food. (Fantasy. 8-12)
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February 15, 2023
Grades 3-6 Korean American Maya is surprised to learn that her grandmother, who's in the early stages of dementia, has the remarkable ability to travel back in time to her own memories by eating or making foods that formed part of that memory. Once Maya gets used to the idea, she begins to wonder if she can use this special ability to relive memories with her deceased father while also learning more about her Korean culture and heritage through foods and her grandmother's memories. Ahn's accounts of the memories themselves create a nostalgic atmosphere as they unfold before Maya's eyes. In exploring her grandmother's past, Maya is able to learn about herself, reflect on her relationship with her mother, and gain a more solid sense of where she comes from. This beautifully written book includes some recipes for the foods that Maya and her grandmother prepare in the story, and the descriptions of the dishes are tantalizing enough that readers might appreciate the ability to recreate them at home. A warm and satisfying intergenerational story.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
February 27, 2023
Food forms a bridge across time in this affectionately wrought contemporary novel from Ahn (the Pug Pals series). In Southern California, Korean American seventh grader Maya lives in a “still and silent” house with her single mother, who works long hours at a law firm. Quiet gives way to a tense family dynamic, however, when Maya’s maternal grandmother, Halmunee, comes to stay, upsetting Maya’s mom. Halmunee, who has dementia, loves to cook, and she reintroduces Maya to an array of Korean foods. As the two bond over making patbingsu one day, they are seemingly transported to the past, where they see Maya’s younger grandparents and mother enjoying the treat. Through this event, Halmunee reveals that she can travel through time, using food as a connection between moments. Though Maya tries to glean more information about her father, who died when she was three, and about her mother’s complicated relationship with Halmunee, her mother remains taciturn and secretive about the past, until Maya’s attempts to balance her own life and new abilities come to a boiling point. Maya’s changing understanding of her mother, and evocative descriptions of food and its link to memory carry this light speculative read, which offers up a sweet intergenerational relationship that connects past and present. Recipes, along with illustrations from Park, are interspersed throughout. Ages 8–12. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong.
January 19, 2024
Gr 3-6-Maya juggles school, friends, and helping her busy mother to care for her aging grandmother who suffers from memory issues. But one summer day, Maya's grandmother, whom she calls Halmunee, teaches her how to make a traditional Korean dessert, and Maya discovers a hidden family talent: women in her family can time travel to the past through memories associated with food. As Maya and her grandmother experiment with recipes and memories, the two become close and Maya learns there may be other family secrets that her mother never told her. This is a sweet story about food and family that is enriched by the addition of several recipes sprinkled in between the chapters. Through Maya's trips to the past with her grandmother, she learns about her Korean heritage and connects to her larger family outside of her mom and grandmother, which helps assuage her occasional loneliness. Readers will root for Maya as she slowly navigates her tense relationship with her mother and learns her powers, and while these plot threads are thoroughly explored, there are several that remain frustratingly unresolved. VERDICT Give this to readers who enjoy Anna Meriano's Love, Sugar, Magic or those who like a little magical realism with family and food.-Mimi Powell
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