June 25, 2024 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Tacoma's family runs a truck stop in North Bend, Washington, that serves all day breakfast, and she has to help out frequently, especially when her father has days where he is struggling with his depression. Even though this isn't always her favorite thing to do, she loves cooking, enjoys the customers, and looks forward to the day when she can use her own cooking skills to go on the road with a food truck. On this particular day, she is supposed to cook dinnerr for a change, and her dad was supposed to go with her grocery shopping. Instead, he can barely get out of bed. When a tour bus barrels into their parking lot in distress, the day gets even more complicated. Tacoma meets the son of the driver, Denver, and the Nick Jersey Hudson Canyon Band. Denver's mother drove a tour bus for John Denver, and coincidentally, Tacoma's father once played in a concert with Bruce Springsteen. This is a story he tells frequently, so he was devastated when the picture that was taken of the event and which had hung on the walls of the diner for years was stolen. Frequent oily trucker customer, Crocodile Kyle, who always causes problems whenever he comes in, whispers to Tacoma that he has the picture hanging by his bed. When it turns out that Denver is going to be stuck at the diner for the day, Tacoma inveigles him into helping her get the picture back. She also involves Kyle's nephew, Hudgie, in the plan, and soon the three involved in a complicated plot that involves an accidental road trip, an aggressive rooster named Tick Tick, an oddities shop, a corn maze, and even a meat vending machine. With the help of Hugh, the rooster's owner, and Denise, a trucker for whom Tacoma always has packets of raw sugar, will a Tacoma be able to get the picture back and return home in time to make dinner?
Strengths: Tacoma is a resilient character who knows what she wants and will let nothing stand in her way. She's a huge fan of cooking, and has quite a collection of regional cookbooks, although we only see her cook right at the end of the book. She is vivacious enough to drag not only visiting Denver into her plan, but to blackmail her nemesis, Hudgie, into helping her out. While some of the kids' hijinks are a little unlikely, they are all realistic. There's even some slightly scary moments, like when they get locked in the oddities shop and stuck in Kyle's truck. It was particularly nice that Kyle got his comeuppance for at least some of his horrible behaviors. The father's depression is dealt with factually, and the family is supportive and has coping mechanims to help. Tacoma and Denver have a mutually supportive friendship, and Tacoma gets her wish to finally make DINNER after years of having to help with breakfast food.
Weaknesses: I was ready to just hang out at the diner for the entire day, but even with the band there, that would have gotten a little boring. This kept taking turns that I didn't quite expect, which isn't a bad thing, but did take me by surprise. Also, the math barely works for Denver's mother to have driven John Denver's tour bus. The last tour before his death was 1997, and since Denver would have been born in 2012, the mother would have had to be VERY young when she drove the bus.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the trucking component of Hawes' Big Rig or want to hang out at a local diner (like Bauer's Hope Was Here), but really is more of a quirky adventure reminiscent of Greenland's Scouts with a sprinkling of mental health issues akin to Hiranandani's The Whole Story of Half a Girl. Fans of this author's The Exceptional Maggie Chowder will be glad to see this new book, which has a fantastic title.
Weaknesses: I was ready to just hang out at the diner for the entire day, but even with the band there, that would have gotten a little boring. This kept taking turns that I didn't quite expect, which isn't a bad thing, but did take me by surprise. Also, the math barely works for Denver's mother to have driven John Denver's tour bus. The last tour before his death was 1997, and since Denver would have been born in 2012, the mother would have had to be VERY young when she drove the bus.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the trucking component of Hawes' Big Rig or want to hang out at a local diner (like Bauer's Hope Was Here), but really is more of a quirky adventure reminiscent of Greenland's Scouts with a sprinkling of mental health issues akin to Hiranandani's The Whole Story of Half a Girl. Fans of this author's The Exceptional Maggie Chowder will be glad to see this new book, which has a fantastic title.
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