Stir It Up!

Gr 5—7—This brief offering introduces readers to the spicy, colorful island of Trinidad through Anjali Krishnan and her family in New York City. The 13-year-old balances school and helping at her family's roti shop where she is able to try out her culinary inspirations, with many recipes included. She dreams of being the youngest chef on The Food Network, and her grandmother believes she can do it. When Anjali wins a tryout for a teen cooking show, her family is thrilled. However, her dad thinks that her education should come first—the tryout is the same time as her entrance exam for prestigious Stuyvesant High School. Through a deceptive plan, she competes in the tryout. Her father is furious and forbids her to compete any further. Her grandmother wins him over and Anjali competes in the finals. While she does not win, her family comes to support her and her dream. This thin story contains primarily stock characters (devoted but headstrong daughter, sympathetic grandma, distracted mother, restrictive father, complicit friends). The character development is strongest between Anjali and her grandmother; however, the dialect is somewhat stilted. Trinidadian culture plays a large role in the story, but besides the detailed descriptions of food and recipes, little historical and societal information is provided. A marginal purchase.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI