Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous

Gr 6 Up—In this tale of reality television, food, deception, and love, readers meet Sophie Nicolaides. The 16-year-old works in her family's Italian-Greek restaurant alongside her father and grandparents. She loves to cook-so much so that she wants to be a chef with her own restaurant when she grows up. But, for now, it's school, weekends at the restaurant, and the rest of her free time spent with Alex-her best friend who is a boy, not her boyfriend. He gives her an application for a new reality show that is looking for teen "cheftestants" to compete for a chance to win a scholarship to the country's best culinary school. How can she pass up the opportunity to spend a summer away from DC in Napa, California, while cooking her heart out for prizes? At her home away from home, she's faced with friends, enemies, frenemies, and a cute French student. But will she survive the chop of reality-show drama? And, when she starts having feelings for the French cutie, she wonders if the steam in the kitchen will cloud her thinking or if she will cook like she's never cooked before to win a chance at the beginning of her culinary life. Although the characters are, at times, underdeveloped and generic, the story itself is entertaining and funny, and it will definitely make readers hungry for dinner. Give to readers who want an easy and quick read.—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR