I cannot say enough about the delightful Gladys or her growth over the three books that started with the Crystal Kite Award winner All Four Stars and continued with the equally hilarious and yummy The Stars of Summer. I fell so in love with this young foodie and her adventures that I'm holding out for another book after this one.
Tara Dairman is extremely well-traveled (check out her 2 year, 74-country honeymoon HERE) and has sampled local cuisine all over the world~ who better to write the chronicles of a middle grade foodie than an author who loves food and knows first-hand the way it connects people. Her blog even features recipes from the first book.
I'm lucky enough to be able to claim her as a critique partner and cannot wait to get my hardcover of STARS SO SWEET. Tara recently shared some exciting news~ all three books will be available on Audiobook! Release dates for those are May 10 (All Four Stars), June 10 (The Stars of Summer), and July 19 (Stars so Sweet).
Once again, I'll do a seven-word highlight review of the things this book does incredibly well.
Highlights of STARS SO SWEET: Characters, Humor, Heart, Mouthwatering Food Descriptions, Friendships, School Setting, and.... Chapter Titles (seriously, these are so fantastic)!
Here's a summary of STARS SO SWEET:
As the summer winds down and Gladys Gatsby prepares to start middle school, she is nervous about juggling schoolwork and looming deadlines from her secret job as the New York Standard’s youngest restaurant critic. When her editor pushes for a face-to-face meeting to discuss more opportunities with the paper, Gladys knows she must finally come clean to her parents. But her perfectly planned reveal is put on hold when her parents arrive home with a surprise: her Aunt Lydia, one of the only adults who knows her secret, fresh off the plane from Paris. Gladys and Aunt Lydia try one last ruse to fool her editor at the Standard, but even with her aunt’s help, Gladys just can’t manage the drama of middle school and a secret life. It’s time for Gladys to be true to herself and honest with her friends and family, regardless of what those around her think.
And here she is proudly holding Book #3!
Best of luck in the giveaway!
Tara Dairman's Website
Tara Dairman on Twitter
Tara Dairman on Facebook
This sounds like a fantastic series. Food always sounds good too. I'll let someone else win who has time to read this right now. Love the cute pictures too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalie!
ReplyDeleteSo excited to know there's a third book! It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteIt's delightful! Best of luck in the giveaway :)
DeleteI love this cover! Anything that smacks of party and food, and I'm down with! I so enjoyed the first Gladys book, and really need to get around to reading the second- especially since the third is here! And what a cutie-patootie holding those books. =)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leandra! Best of luck in the giveaway :)
DeleteYour daughter's adorable. I loved the first book in this series. So clever and so much fun. But please let someone else win, since I just won another book from you (and thanks!).
ReplyDeleteGotcha :) Thanks, Joanne!
DeleteThis looks like a great series to add to my teacher book shelf!
ReplyDeleteEmily Montjoy
mrsmontjoy@yahoo.com
It's wonderful~ tons of fun with a great voice!
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ReplyDeleteThis series is adorable!! I love picking the perfect kids in my 5th grade class that I just know will love them and making a big show out of passing it on to them!!
ReplyDeleteThat's so great!
DeleteI love this series. Every time I book talk it in my 5th grade class I have kids fighting over who gets it next. I actually always know exactly which kids will love it!!
ReplyDeleteLove that they're fighting over Gladys :)
DeleteOops...I'm a dope sorry.
ReplyDeleteYou are great!
DeleteThese are such wonderful, wonderful books! I can't wait to gobble up STARS SO SWEET! Gladys is my hero. :)
ReplyDeleteOMG, I'm so glad you commented~ I'll tweet about it when I get home and grab my camera, but I nabbed an ARC of CLOUD AND WALLFISH at PLA~ so excited to read it!
DeleteOh, that's very cool! NOOKS AND CRANNIES carried me through the chill dark of early November. :) And your coming AUGUSTA has caught my eye because my WIP is about an Augusta--person, though, not city. Still, coincidence every which where!
DeleteBig fan of clever, talented Gladys! I could do without my pretween imitating her in reviewing my breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings though. ;-) Would love to score the ARC!
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, I wouldn't be a fan of Gladys style breakfast reviews either (at least unless I was notified ahead of time and could cook to impress :))!
DeleteLooks like a great book! Would love a copy to share with my 5thies and #bookvoyage.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
This sounds like a collection I need to add to my library! Thanks for highlighting this book(s)!
ReplyDeleteSure thing~ thanks for the comment!
DeleteMy kids liked All Four Stars, so I'd be happy to add to our collection. We're also almost done with The Ranger's Apprentice series on audiobook, and I'm looking for more kidlit to listen to in the van... I think this will be my next series. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteIt's great fun :)
DeleteLooks like a great book to add to my classroom collection. Thanks for organizing the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in the giveaway!
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ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a delightful book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! It's adorable!
DeleteOoooh, this sounds like a delightful series. Your daughter is enchanting!
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