Because of Thursday

August 15, 2016
Polacco (The Keeping Quilt) returns with a scattered story of longtime loves and new beginnings. Good things always come to Annie on Thursdays; it was on that day that she met her husband, gave birth to her sons, and opened a diner renowned for its Poke Salad (“the more you poked at it, the more scrumptious, succulent, delectable surprises you’d find”). Polacco’s fluid illustrations affectingly evoke the passage of time as Annie ages and sinks into sadness after her husband dies, until—on a Thursday—a kitten appears on her porch. Named Thursday, the energetic cat reignites Annie’s passion for cooking, and she reopens her restaurant. Thursday entertains diners with his acrobatics until a miscalculated leap sends ingredients flying into a pasta pot, creating “an oily, garlicky mess” that becomes a culinary rage thanks to a visit from a Guy Fieri look-alike. This odd tale concludes with a pile-on of too-good-to-be-true events and a recipe for Annie’s “Ugly Pasta.” Polacco describes it as “unforgettable,” which seems likely given that it calls for a cup of red pepper flakes and four cups of chopped garlic per pound of pasta. Ages 4–8.

July 15, 2016
A grieving widow finds a new lease on life and unexpected material success after adopting a stray cat.Annie and her husband, Mario, happily run a small diner in a small town. As the white couple grows older, the two continue to enjoy their low-key life--until Mario falls ill and dies. Annie's subsequent sadness mutes her enthusiasm for cooking. The discovery of a kitten on her porch--the titular Thursday--revitalizes her and, eventually, results in the creation of an entirely new recipe. Through an unlikely series of events that includes a visit from a TV food-show host (recognizable as Guy Fieri but not named), Annie doesn't just reopen the original diner, she brands her new dish Ugly Pasta, adds national franchises, builds a factory to employ her neighbors, and spends her profits on civic improvements. Polacco's signature scratchy illustrations, rendered in pencil and marker, are full of energy but can't overcome the overlong text and meandering plot. Ironically, the caveats she includes with her recipe for Ugly Pasta seem unnecessary--she "hesitated to put this in a children's book," but this doesn't feel like a children's book at all. Written in honor of her own beloved cat and inspired by a real restaurant, Polacco's paean to pasta won't suit the tastes of the intended audience, who would be better served by a second helping of one of her earlier creations. (author's note) (Picture book. 6-9)

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October 1, 2016

Gr 2-4-Each of Annie's most important milestones have happened on a Thursday, including her wedding and the opening of a diner with her husband, Mario. The diner quickly becomes famous for Annie's signature dish, a pasta salad she christens Poke Salad, invented, unsurprisingly, on a Thursday. It is notably not a Thursday when, many years later, Annie loses her dear husband and with him her zeal for Poke Salad, feeding the community, and the diner. Without Mario or the diner, Annie retreats into a solitary, heartbroken life-until the Thursday she discovers an abandoned kitten on her porch. The cat, whom Annie names Thursday, becomes her constant companion and reinvigorates her culinary spirit. Before long, Annie and the townsfolk reopen the diner, which features Annie's Poke Salad and a new feline entertainer. After an accident in the kitchen results in a terrifically ugly but wonderfully aromatic pasta dish, a surprise guest to the diner puts Annie and her new "Ugly Pasta" on the map. Rendered in colored pencil and acetone markers in Polacco's signature style, the illustrations are bold and colorful and teem with activity. However, what begins as a sweet and heartfelt family tale takes an unexpected and outlandish turn with the introduction of a Guy Fieri-esque TV host. Featured is a photo of the author with her cat, Thursday, who inspired the story, as well as Polacco's own recipe for Ugly Pasta. VERDICT Less compelling than Polacco's typical autobiographical or historical fare, this lighthearted selection should still please her most dedicated fans.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Grades K-3 Thursdays have always been fortuitous for Annie. Her birth, wedding, children's births, the opening of her diner, and the creation of her famous Poke Salad all happened on Thursdays. Sad eventsher husband's passing, and the day she closed her restauranttook place on other days. It was a Thursday when she found a tiny kitten (soon to be named Thursday) that reawoke her interest in cooking, which led to the reopening of her diner. And it was a Thursday when a mysterious stranger (unnamed but awfully similar to Guy Fieri of TV's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) slunk in and fell in love with Annie's amazing food, including Ugly Pasta, a dish accidentally created by Thursday the cat. Annie became nationally famous, revitalized the town, and became a philanthropistall because of Thursday. As always, Polacco entwines an inventive story with wonderfully expressive and humorous illustrations that fill pages with extra narrative details. The delightful result will not disappoint her legions of fans, while providing an extra bonus for foodies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)