A la Carte

December 1, 2008
Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Lainey has an uncommon dream: to be the first African-American celebrity vegetarian chef. She shows promise, helping out in the kitchen at her mother's Bay Area restaurant and concocting mouthwatering dishes in her spare time. (Hand-written recipes are included.) Cooking is her salvation; she turns to the kitchen when things aren't going well, particularly in her precarious relationship with Simeon Keller. While she cares for him as a friend, she overlooks the way he uses her. When he runs away from a bad situation at home, she offers him brief sanctuary in her home, giving him $500 and food before he jets out of town. Lainey's mom hounds her for details about his disappearance, details that she withholds for weeks. When Sim returns, months later, she's more self-assured and certain of her own plans for success. While Davis's first novel at times suffers from awkward wording and slow moments, it's still a book with a lot of heart. Readers will relate to Lainey, who doesn't always say the right thing, who has a love-hate relationship with her mother, and who finds her dreams realized at the novel's end. Secondary characters, like Lainey's formerly dorky family friend, ring true and add depth to the novel."Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2008
How many African American female chefs have their own vegetarian cooking shows? High-school senior Lainey, with help from her moms gourmet restaurant and St. Julia (Child), is well on her way to being the first. Though she never wavers in her dedication to her culinary future, Lainey suffers a blow when her lifelong friend, Simeon, borrows $500 and runs away. Sims departure leaves Lainey feeling alone and strains her relationship with her mother, who disapproves of Laineys loan. When Sim finally returns, thoughtful, likable Lainey faces the truth about her friends character and the role she really played in his life. Davis first novel shows much promise for good things to come. Too few novels feature well-drawn, well-educated, middle-class African American characters like Lainey and her family. The text is seasoned with Laineys original recipes, and Laineys use of cooking as a means of meditation and self-expression may encourage readers to embark on their own kitchen experiments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)