Stars So Sweet by Tara Dairman Published by Penguin on July 19th 2016
Genres: Middle Grade, Humorous Stories, Social Themes, Friendship, Cooking & Food
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Also by this author: All Four Stars, The Stars of Summer
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.
Tara Dairman’s All Four Stars books are such a delight, and I’m thrilled to help celebrate the launch of the series finale Stars So Sweet! Gladys Gatsby, middle schooler by day, adventurous cook by night, and stealth food critic on the side, stole my heart and gave me a serious case of food envy with these books! The final installment doesn’t disappoint, and showcases Gladys’ growth as she balances more on her plate than ever. Read on to find out more about this stellar middle grade series, and don’t forget to enter to win a copy of the All Four Stars trilogy for yourself.
Young Gladys Gatsby stumbled upon a job as a food critic for a prominent New York newspaper. But, her employer doesn’t know her real age, and her parents don’t know what she’s up to either. In the third and final installment, Stars So Sweet, Gladys is starting middle school, and it’s getting harder and harder to juggle her schoolwork and professional obligations. Gladys’ Aunt Lydia is one person who knows about Gladys’ secret life as a food critic, and her unexpected visit helps Gladys keep her secret going a little while longer.
Gladys’ gang of friends Parm, Charissa, Sandy, and Hamilton are back to support Gladys on her foodie adventures. Parm still likes bland foods and soccer, Charissa is overextended with extracurriculars, Sandy aims to be the “King of Gross” eater at school, and tween author sensation Hamilton wants to experience a little more of a normal life. It was also a welcome surprise to read about one of the character’s same-sex crush! Gladys has trouble fitting in at middle school and even has a new nemesis. But soon she gets in over her head with school bake sales and clubs once the word gets out about her baking skills.
The series has been about Gladys getting to live out her dreams as a food critic and for her parents to take her foodie ambitions seriously. The final course of this delicious trilogy brings Gladys’ story to a satisfying conclusion. I hope one day the author revisits these characters, perhaps with a YA update. If you love middle grade books, or foodie fiction you’ll want to add this series to your reading list.
Stars So Sweet is on sale July 19
Find it: Goodreads * Penguin * Amazon * B&N * IndieBound * BAM * Indigo * Book Depository
Advance Praise for Stars So Sweet:
“A tasty dish that series fans should eat up.”
-KIRKUS
“An enjoyable entry in a fine series.”
-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
About the Author:
Tara Dairman is the author of the middle-grade foodie novel ALL FOUR STARS (Putnam/Penguin) which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month and won a 2015 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. THE STARS OF SUMMER followed in 2015, and STARS SO SWEET (7/19/16) completes the series. Tara grew up in New York and holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College. After surviving the world’s longest honeymoon (two years, seventy-four countries!), she now lives in Colorado with her family.
Visit Tara: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Author photo credit: Tiffany Crowder @ Crowded Studios
GIVEAWAY:
One reader will win:
The All Four Stars trilogy including:
All Four Stars, The Stars of Summer, and Stars So Sweet by Tara Dairman
Prizing courtesy of Penguin Random House, giveaway is open to US entrants age 13 and up. Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter!
Follow the STARS SO SWEET blog tour:
Thursday, July 7 – The Daily Dahlia
Friday, July 8 – The Reading Date – you’re here!
Monday July 11 – Project Mayhem
Tuesday July 12 –Bookish Illuminations
Wednesday July 13 – Log Cabin Library
Thursday July 14 – Word Spelunking
Friday July 15 – FWIW
Monday July 18 – A Baked Creation
Tuesday July 19 – Release day!
Thursday July 21 – Fic Talk
Friday July 22 – Pop Goes the Reader
Monday July 25 – Kitchen Frolic
Tuesday July 26 – Creative Spaces
This sounds like a terrific series – I love that it encourages kids to cook!
I love how it deals with cooking kids. SO much fun!
This series sounds delightful, appealing, and lovely. So special.
The cover artwork, the stories….my daughter would LOVE these 🙂
I would love to read this series along with my granddaughter. I think it would be fun to talk about and then cook together.
Such a different idea, and the covers are cute, too.
This sounds like a really fun series! The covers are so pretty! I had a lot of fun with Lisa Schroeder’s MG series about cupcakes.
I love the covers and the plot of the series 🙂
This sounds cute. My favorite middle-grade at the moment is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.
no fav food
This is very cute. I’d love to read this with my sister.
My daughter loved the first two books in the series, food food food!
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