Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Starred review from June 16, 2003
A warm kitchen filled with inviting aromas sets the scene for this heartfelt novel celebrating friendship and family ties. Here 12-year-old Rosie and her Italian grandmother whip up extraordinary dishes and exchange confidences. As the novel opens, Rosie broods on a fight she has had with her best friend, Bailey, who is going blind, and it soon becomes apparent that Granny Torrelli's talents aren't limited to cooking. She detects that her granddaughter is bothered by something and tells Rosie a few stories from her own childhood that resonate with Rosie's situation as the two prepare a delicious soup. Rosie then confides memories of Bailey, and the layering of experiences builds in much the same way as Creech's Fishing in the Air. Though Rosie and Granny may be generations apart, their lives have been shaped by similar situations. By the second section, "Pasta Party," Rosie and Bailey are on better terms. Creech (Walk Two Moons) once again shows her ability to crystallize characters and express their emotions through very few, carefully chosen words. Her subtle approach only enhances the novel's cumulative impact. Like comfort food, conversations between Granny and Rosie have a soothing effect, reminding readers that conflicts pass and there will always be moments when friends and family gather, peace of mind returns and, in Granny Torrelli's words, "Tutto va bene"—all is well. Ages 8-12.

September 8, 2003
Via Murphy's colorful, warm reading of Creech's (Walk Two Moons) brief novel, listeners soon discover that soup, pasta and good old-fashioned conversation prove great elixirs. Drama bubbles up when 12-year-old Rosie has a spat with her best friend and neighbor, Bailey. Through a series of flashbacks and real-time kitchen talks with her Granny Torrelli while they cook, Rosie begins to unravel her emotions and perhaps better understand her intensely protective (and proprietary) feelings for Bailey, who has recently gone blind. In the passages of text that jump back in Rosie's childhood, Murphy follows, sounding younger. Granny Torrelli has a somewhat generic "foreign grandmother" accent that sometimes sounds Russian or Eastern European as much as Italian, but listeners will easily forgive this quibble in light of the entertaining, full-bodied characters here. Ages 8-up.

January 10, 2005
In a starred review, PW
said, "A warm kitchen filled with inviting aromas sets the scene for this heartfelt novel celebrating friendship and family ties." Ages 8-12.