May 21, 2024 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Luca Salvatore lives in a suburb of Chicago where his parents are currently running Mamma Gianna's pizza parlor, after his Nonna Zaza has moved to Florida. Even though the restaurant has been in the family for generations, it is falling on heard times, and Luca has to rush there after picking up his twin younger siblings from school so that he can help out. He loves cooking, and loves the restaurant, but is tired of the responsibility, especially since his parents have been fighting more about broken refrigerators, watching the children, and paying the bills. When Luca and his best friend June meet a new student at school, Will, Luca thinks he is cute and wants to befriend him. Will reciprocates, and Luca manages to hang out with him, even though it means not telling the truth to June and getting in trouble with his parents for not helping at the restaurant. When Luca finds out that Trevor Parker, his celebrity crush and host of Luca's favorite show, Pizza Perfect, is ending the series, he is devastated. When the opportunity to apply to be on the show arises, Luca jumps on it, putting together a video with June and asking his parents to submit it. Will is interested in guitar, and is trying to find members to join him for the local Battle of the Bands. With a school dance coming up, Luca is worried that June might be interested in Will romantically, mainly because he is as well. The fact that he is gay hasn't really mattered to anyone, but he doesn't know how to bring up the subject with Will, and is glad to be friends, if nothing else. When Mamma Gianna's is accepted to be on Pizza Perfect, the family shifts into high gear, cleaning the restaurant and fixing things that have long gone unattended. Unfortunately, the parents' fighting has continued to the point where the father has moved out and taken his own apartment. Luca feels that it is his responsibity to save not only the restaurant, but his parents' marriage. When the Pizza Perfect film crew arrive, things go fairly well, but when his father show up late, and clearly a bit drunk, Luca is worried. Channeling his anger into pounding on Pizza dough, he has a heart to heart with Trevor, and bakes one of his unusual, gourmet pizzas that his mother won't let him put on the menu because of the expense. Trevor thinks the pizza is fantastic, and gives Luca some good advice about surviving middle school. Things are rocky with June, who has gotten the lead in a musical, and when Will needs a new lead singer for his band, she agrees to step in. Luca would like to ask Will to the dance, but knowing that June has a crush on him, suggests that Will invite her. This causes some confusion, but eventually the three friends communicate and work things out. The family also takes a long, hard look at what is going on with the restaurant and the parents' marriage, especially after a disastrous babysitting event that lands Luca's brother in the emergency room, needing five stitches! In an epilogue, we find that Luca starts therapy, starts to date Will, and is no longer as responsible for the restaurant's daily operations, after some money from Trevor Parker, and the publicity from the show, puts Mamma Gianna's back on its feet.
Strengths: There have been so many books about middle grade characters with anxiety that it is always good to see a character who faces struggles with hopefulness and resilience. I've had students whose parents have run restaurants, and it is a hard life, but a tween pitching in to help instead of sinking into worry and despair is always more interesting to read about. Luca certainly struggles, and it was good to see him benefit from therapy at the end of the novel. The younger siblings who bicker make this VERY realistic, despite the national television show filming. Luca's struggles to remain good friends with June will resonate with young readers, and the romantic triangle with Will is well done and age appropriate. Luca getting to learn how to throw pizza dough from his idol is just the perfectly caramelized goat cheese on top of a heavenly slice of literary pie.
Weaknesses: This is definitely a wish fulfillment novel, with Mamma Gianna's being on a television show. Older readers might find the romance at the end a little cheesy, but hopefully in a good way, like Luca's tortellini pizza.
What I really think: This was a very fun book; the daily life of running a restaurant was very interesting, and good for students to read about. It's not easy, but so many middle school students who love to cook have thoughts of running restaurants when they grow up! Luca is such a positive and resourceful character who works so hard for his family that it is good to see him have some happiness at the end. This will be perfect for fans of cooking tales like Stamper's Eli Over Easy, Negron's The Last Super Chef, Richardson's Pizza My Heart: A Wish Novel, and Chari's Karthik Delivers, or gentle romances like Taylor's The Language of Seabirds or Levithan's Answers in the Pages.
Weaknesses: This is definitely a wish fulfillment novel, with Mamma Gianna's being on a television show. Older readers might find the romance at the end a little cheesy, but hopefully in a good way, like Luca's tortellini pizza.
What I really think: This was a very fun book; the daily life of running a restaurant was very interesting, and good for students to read about. It's not easy, but so many middle school students who love to cook have thoughts of running restaurants when they grow up! Luca is such a positive and resourceful character who works so hard for his family that it is good to see him have some happiness at the end. This will be perfect for fans of cooking tales like Stamper's Eli Over Easy, Negron's The Last Super Chef, Richardson's Pizza My Heart: A Wish Novel, and Chari's Karthik Delivers, or gentle romances like Taylor's The Language of Seabirds or Levithan's Answers in the Pages.
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