Brainstorm 314: Pie Stories for Pi Day

 Yesterday was Pi Day (well, right now it is still Pi day in certain parts of the world) which seems like a perfect time to share some books heavily featuring pie. Click on the title to see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings. And warning, you may need to find yourself a slice of pie before diving into any of these stories as they are all likely to make you hungry for some. (I wish I could say I totally planned for Brainstorm 314 to be the Pi Day Brainstorm, but it was just a happy accident.)

Cindy and Panda by Benson Shum

Cindy and her new friend Panda are baking a rhubarb pie. But what happens when the sous chef eats some of the ingredients? Is the pie ruined? How about their friendship?

Forgiving isn't easy, but Cindy and Panda model moving past hurts well. And I like how they problem solved a way to save the baking session.

Target Readers:

Friendship Story Fans, Rhubarb Pie Lovers, Baking Story Fans, Conflict Resolution Story Fans, Asian Character Fans, Panda Lovers, Picture Book Readers

Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn

Elliott is trying to survive life in middle school. 6th grade is tough enough without ADHD. His mom and therapist get his ADHD, but his dad and friends don't always understand. Elliott himself is trying to better understand his tendencies and employ the therapist's coping strategies. He really needs to kick it into gear so he doesn't fail the 2nd half of 6th grade like he did the first. There's a big project coming up and his friends don't want him in his group so he somehow ends up in a group with Maribel who also got rejected by her friends. Maribel is super organized and on top of things. Elliott loves being in the kitchen, but he isn't sure about baking. His idol chef says baking is for muffinheads. And Maribel insists they make gluten free pies. Elliott is super motivated for their project to be a financial success, though, since he really wants to go to cooking camp but his Dad also is demanding he pay for a window and he doesn't have money for both. On top of trying to not bomb the project or 6th grade, Elliott is trying to wrap his head around his Dad and stepmom expecting a baby and what that means for him.

This book does a wonderful job of helping readers understand what it can be like to have ADHD or Celiac’s disease.

Target Readers:

Contemporary Fiction Fans, Characters with ADHD Fans, Characters with Celiac’s Disease Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Middle School Story Fans, Family Story Fans, Baking Story Fans, Award Winner Readers, Middle Grade Readers

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie (The Great Peach Experiment, #1) by Erin Soderberg Downing

The Peach family has made it through a year of grieving the loss of their wife/mother. One of her inventions just hit a big payday, and instead of using the money for a vacation, Dad decided to buy a used food truck and has declared they are going to travel around the Midwest selling pies with the goal of winning a food truck competition in Delaware, Ohio at the end of the summer. Lucy is very wary of her Dad's plans. She's spent the year single-handedly holding the family together by handling all of the details, like packed lunches and schedules. Dad may be a brilliant scientist, but he is not a details person. So Lucy is afraid this is going to fall apart and she's going to be stuck trying to keep everything together. Besides, she wanted spend her summer relaxing and reading the entire summer optional reading list. Freddy also wanted to chill, but he thinks traveling might not be bad if they can stop and see all the weird road side attractions along the way. Little Herb is up for anything, but on the one condition that he can swim every single day. Dad promises the kids they will all get to fulfill their wishes, but what happens when he loses sight of the purpose of the summer and the food truck in the first place?

A heartwarming, slightly zany summer road trip story that tackles tough topics in a tactful, hopeful, and entertaining way.

Target Readers:

Road Trip Story Fans, Family Story Fans, Food Truck Fans, Baking Story Fans, Personal Growth Story Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Middle Grade Readers

Yummy: a History of Desserts by Victoria Grace Elliott

3 food sprites introduce readers to the real history of cakes, ice cream, pie, brownies, gummies, cookies, and macarons. Each chapter looks back to the earliest evidence of these kinds of goodies, how and where they developed, different cultures' adaptations, legends about how specific ones developed, and biographies of developers known for sure.

Pie lovers can skip to the pie section, or just devour the whole book. This is a delicious way to learn about food history. 

Target Readers:

Graphic Novel Fans, Random Fact Sponges, Food History Studiers, Dessert Lovers, Reluctant Nonfiction Readers, Young Adult Readers (though of interest to Adults and approachable to Middle Grade)