Julie Crabtree

How many times when you were in middle school did you wish you lived with your best friend? Or how many of us had best friends move away? I think many many of us could raise our hand to both those questions. Because of that, this is a book that tons of girls will be able to relate to.

The Characters: Ariel is a pretty typical 8th grader. She's easily embarrassed, loves her family yet at points wants nothing to do with them and her friends are the most important thing to her. I liked Ariel, and I think most girls will be able to relate to her a lot. When she finds out her best friend is moving she reacts the way I've watched countless girls I teach react - including the plan to have M (her best friend) move in with her. I liked, too, her love of cooking and how she used it to de-stress. I think most girls have something they do when they are feeling stressed out, so it was neat to see how she used that. The only bad part about her cooking - it made me hungry!!!

As an adult I did find Ariel a bit self-centered at times. She talked a lot about how she wanted everything in her life to be and what her friends and family were to do to fit into her plan. That is pretty typical of this age group, but as an adult reader I did want to remind her a few times it wasn't all about her! I did like the growth she had at the end of the book though. She definitely stepped out of herself and focused solely on the needs of M and her family. It endured her more to me.

As for her two friends M (there is an explanation as to why just M!) and Nicki - they too were pretty typical 8th graders. Full of drama, confusion, emotions and their lives. In the end I think I liked M more than Ariel. She grew up a whole lot faster. I may have to read Discovering Pig Magic to hear more about her story.

The Plot: The plot centers around what happens when two best friends end up living together. As an adult, I could've told them it wouldn't go as expected, but 8th graders need to learn everything for themselves! I liked how the tension builds between the friends. It was very realistic, and at points made me feel their discomfort. The side story with Nicki was interesting, and it added to tension nicely too. Because of Nicki's mysterious behavior, Ariel found she didn't have someone to turn to when things weren't going well. It made her even more confused and uncertain. She had to struggle more, so it made the outcome that more satisfying. In the end, M and Ariel's stories wrapped up well. I was definitely satisfied with how it all turned out. I am, however, curious about what will happen with Nicki, and I wonder if there will be a book about her.......

Final Thought: Definitely a story that middle grade girls will able to relate to - and hopefully learn from!
Best stick-with-you image: All the food!
Best for readers who: Are girls - especially girls that have had a friend move away
Best for ages: 11+… (mere)

I thought that the plot of this novel was interesting. It is the story of three best friends at that age when being a girl is beginning to get complicated. I thought the protagonist Ariel was very unique as well. She's a novice chef of sorts. She's won some contents and cooks to relieve stress. I can relate to the latter. Cooking and baking is just one of those soothing things that I love to do. Another great thing about the novel is that all the recipes that are mentioned in the novel are included in the book. (In the ARC they preface each chapter).

One of the things that I did like about the novel was that the parents were not "the bad guy". That's one of the cliches that sometimes throws me off of a book. The whole "my parents don't understand me", "my life is horrible". The Crepe Makers' Bond doesn't do that at all. Even if in some situations the parents are not ideal, they are not actively trying to make things horrible for their child. This novel is a great example of how parents often do the best that they can within their means, and go out of their way to do what's best for their family. Ariel's father is a very comedic character, which I found to be very refreshing, rather than the bumbling embarrassing dad.

The pacing of the novel was pretty good as well, until the climax of the novel. Then things seemed to wrap up, both too quickly and unrealistically. But the ending of the novel was still an unexpected and happy surprise. I liked that each of the girls had their own stories and attributes that made them unique, but you could also obviously tell why they were friends.

One of the things that I felt was the most important in the novel was Nicki's secret and how her parents react to that secret. I think it's a common problem among young girls and teenagers and I love that it was addressed in the novel in such a way. I think this novel is a great read for younger girls. Well worth the read.… (mere)

I thought these girls were a lot older than 8th grade when I first saw this book. The first cover (see immediate right) with the aprons almost belied a much-older book with adult women who might bond over love of cooking. The official cover (see above right) with the hands will make it more appealing to a younger audience, but I still find those hands rather old-looking. I wish there had been young girls on the cover to properly prepare me for a younger mindset.

The Crepe Makers' Bond makes an excellent read for a middle-grader who is looking for a quality contemporary read for their age group. Ariel makes for an excellent role model when it comes to having dreams and working towards them. She aspires to be a cook and puts together her portfolio, choosing a recipe to close each chapter. As a non-chef, I could not help but admire her talents especially at a young age.

As far as the main plot goes, I thought it was a little short-lived for my own taste. I had expected more head-butting and active fighting, but instead the girls avoided each other and allowed their friendship to fall out of whack. While this happens admittedly in real life, their fight seemed a little perfunctory where they fought, they stopped talking, they parted ways, the end. Ariel struck me as a very contemplative person, so I was disappointed when she barely delved into the situation that she considered "life-changing" without giving it enough thought.

Definitely geared towards a younger crowd, The Crepe Makers' Bond can be a great gateway for middle-graders to provoke discussion on real-life themes such as divorce, moving away, and friendship.… (mere)