It was a light read. Cute. ( )

An excellent book -- one that doesn't stint on the traumas and behavioral issues caused by abandonment, uncertainty, homelessness and addiction. There is so much going on in here, from the family rift, to concerns about DACA and illegal immigration, to trying to make a small business succeed and earning the trust of those around you, in addition to homelessness, grief over the death of one parent and the alcoholism of a second, the foster system, celiac disease, and a young girl with a profound love of cooking and interest in flavors. I loved that Great British Bakeoff was central to it, I loved that the people around Cady are all developed as people with big worries of their own, I loved that her aunt is in a lesbian relationship and that isn't made a big deal of. I loved the interest in food and flavors and organic ingredients. It's also a quick paced story that's easy to fall into and hard to put down. The only things I wasn't convinced by was Shel's reluctance to try new flavors in her store -- however, as plot devices go it's a pretty minor quibble. ( )

The beginning of the novel felt a bit slow.

However, halfway through the novel it gets very good and engrossing. ( )

In this story we meet Cady Bennett: 12 years old and a new resident of the San Diego Children's Center. Cady and her Dad are homeless and after her Dad shows up drunk at her school one too many times, social services are called and the two are separated. It's then that Cady meets her Aunt Shell and learns that she'll have to go live with her for the time being. All Cady knows is that Shell was her mother's sister and that her Dad doesn't like her. Turns out, Aunt Shell needs Cady just as much as Cady needs her. This was a popular book in our house. Cady was going through some hard times and we wanted to see how things turned out for her. A good message we hear is that although families are different, love is the common thread. ( )

The first time we traveled to San Diego, we were advised to look for pies from Julian, California in specialty grocery stores, and it was love at first bite. Ever since, we have grabbed them up whenever we could. So of course I couldn’t resist reading this sweet middle grade coming-of-age story set in Julian and centered around the art of pie making.

Cady Bennett is 12, and she and her dad are homeless; life has gone downhill for them ever since Cady's mom died when Cady was five. The principal at her school in San Diego finally felt the need to contact protective services, and they in turn contacted the sister of Cady’s late mom to take at least temporary custody of Cady. Michelle, called Shell, brings a reluctant and hostile Cady with her to Julian, around an hour inland from San Diego, where Shell lives with her partner Suzanne and runs a pie shop.

Cady wants to help bake. She loves the idea of cooking, although she hasn’t been able to do much with their van's hotplate and an occasional motel microwave, and Shell and Suzanne allow her to experiment. At first, it is a disaster, but Cady gets better, and also helps out in the pie shop. She even makes friends, something that was virtually impossible before given her itinerant lifestyle and the contempt of kids at school. To do so, however, she has to overcome her ingrained suspicion of and belligerence toward others.

Most people she meets are patient and understanding of Cady, and better yet, they knew her mom and can tell her stories about this woman she never really knew.

But Shell’s shop is in trouble financially, and the attractive stable life Cady finally has is endangered. Cady's new friend Jay, whose mother works at Shell’s Pie, also lives with uncertainly; he and his family are undocumented immigrants. Together Cady and Jay try to come up with ways to help save them all. And in the meantime, Cady bakes and bakes. As she practices over and over, she learns to temper her expectations, take advice gracefully, and build on failure to achieve success. These lessons translate to her life and help her grow up in an entirely different way than just being “street savvy.”

Evaluation: I enjoyed this story and was impressed with all the life lessons incorporated into it, without it seeming too contrived. And what can be bad about reading about pie? There are even recipes at the end with “Notes from Cady” to help make them easier for kids.

Nota Bene: If you get to the San Diego area and find pies from Julian, or better yet, travel to Julian itself, I highly recommend the Apple Mountain Berry Crumb. ( )