Tara Dairman's THE STARS OF SUMMER blog tour by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Blog Tour button designed by Kristin Rae

Hooray, Project Mayhem is last stop on Tara Dairman's The Stars of Summer Blog Tour. I've known Tara since we were both finalists on Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen auction back in 2011. Tara was snapped up by agent Ammi-Joan Paquette, and had a book deal before the summer was out. Her debut, All Four Stars, pubbed in 2014 and was a smashing success. (I blogged about it--complete with an interview with Tara--HERE.)

Now Book 2 is out, and dare I say it, I think it's even better--which is saying something! Gladys Gatsby, 12-year-old food critic for the New York Standard, is trying to keep her job a secret from her parents, as well as surviving her friend Charissa's summer camp. There is a great new character in the ensemble, Hamilton Herbertson, a middle grade novelist who is an actual middle schooler, and gloriously pompous to boot. There are some great, great scenes--Hamilton and Gladys struggling with their swim tests; Gladys eating her way through New York's hot dog stands, and subsequently vomiting on her nemesis Gilbert Gadfly's shoes; an award ceremony in which Hamilton thinks he's a shoo-in; and Gilbert Gadfly's delicious final comeuppance.

It's hard to get a grizzled old Middle Grade Mafioso to laugh. (Tears are a different story. I'm getting much more lachrymose in my old age, when I think of the vicissitudes of life.) But reading The Stars of Summer, I laughed a lot. Knowing, as I do, how much kids this age are into cooking shows, I'm betting that Tara has another hit on her hands.

Tara kindly answered my questions--and here they are:

1) Have you ever floundered about and failed a swimming test?

Absolutely. My parents made me take swimming lessons every summer at the community pool, and I was terrible at them. I remember failing and needing to repeat several levels. Also, the college I went to had a swimming test as a graduation requirement, which I took my freshman year--just one length of the pool, but I was so nervous. So I definitely had a lot of real-life swimming-test angst to draw on when writing those scenes in THE STARS OF SUMMER. Ironically, now, I really enjoy swimming!

2) Have you ever been to an awards ceremony? [If so, I presume not in a blazing red flamenco dress.]

I've never been to a fancy televised awards ceremony, but a good friend of mine went to the Emmys several times with her TV-writer boyfriend when we were in our 20s, so I'd heard all about the experience from her.

3) Have you ever eaten a Gatsby sandwich?


You know, the Gatsby is the one hot dog in the book that I actually haven't eaten myself. I've been to South Africa and remember seeing Gatsby stands all over Cape Town, but I never actually tried one. I kick myself for that now. I've had some other dishes that combine hot dogs and French fries, though, like this Bolivian dish (picture below) with sausage, fries, tomato, and hard-boiled egg. Delicious. 

 YUM!

Tara is a great writer, a foodie, and a world traveler. You can find her on her website, on Twitter: @TaraDairman or on Facebook.

Congrats to Tara for all she's accomplished. And there will be a Book 3, coming in spring 2016. I can't wait!

THE SATURDAY COOKING CLUB Series--Sure To Be A Middle Grade Favorite (by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin)

Back before Spring Break, I spent three weeks being a literary circle facilitator in my 6th grade son's school. (I wasn't able to volunteer for his class, but ended up in the morning block with 6 girls and 1 boy discussing The Hunger Games. If you want a blow-by-blow account, you can find it on my personal blog, Middle Grade Mafioso.)

I tell you this by way of bringing up the fact that when we got to talking about other books, we invariably meandered to movies, and from there to TV shows. And guess what? All the students were enamored of cooking shows on TV. Think Cake Boss and Chopped.

So, it came as no surprise to read in Publisher's Weekly that there's something of a publishing trend in novels about cooking. As Sally Lodge writes: "Kids’ fascination with celebrity chefs they know from TV cooking programs and with cooking competition shows that pit aspiring chefs against one another – an offshoot of perennially popular reality show contests – and society’s and the media’s current focus on healthy eating and childhood obesity all appear to be helping to shape a new generation of foodies – and feeding a budding publishing trend."

Personally, being quite the foodie myself, I am enjoying the trend. I loved Tara Dairman's All Four Stars and, when the publisher of The Saturday Cooking Club series contacted Project Mayhem for a review, I ate it up. (Pun very intended.)

THE SATURDAY COOKING CLUB: KITCHEN CHAOS (Aladdin, January 2015)

Here's what it's about (from the Simon and Schuster website):

Can their friendships take the heat? A trio of mothers and daughters will find out when they sign up for a cooking class from a famous chef in the first book of the Saturday Cooking Club series—it’s mother-daughter bonding and so much more!
Liza and Frankie have always been best friends. But when new girl Lillian arrives from San Francisco, suddenly three’s a crowd. Especially after the trio is grouped together for a big sixth-grade social studies project—can they put aside their animosity long enough to succeed? When Liza suggests they all take a cooking class with the chef from her favorite cooking show for the project, the girls are on board, but they need an adult to take the class with them. It seems like the perfect opportunity to snag some quality time with their overscheduled, overstressed mothers…if they can convince them to sign up!
Several headaches and close calls later, the girls at last find themselves in Chef Antonio’s kitchen with their mothers in tow—but the drama is only just beginning!

My Take: The co-authors of this novel must have been parked outside a middle school classroom. The voices of the girls, and what they are all interested in, are spot-on. Frankie, especially, comes from a family full of brothers whom she calls The Goons--and her descriptions of them are hilarious. The novel is told in alternating first person chapters, and each one of the voices is distinctive.

There is a ton of diversity. Liza is part African-American and part Jewish; Lillian is Chinese-American; and Frankie is Italian-American. There are the inevitable petty jealousies around friendships, harried adults, a father who's an excellent chef, and a bona fide cooking disaster. The novel is funny, authentic, and just plain enjoyable. Give it a whirl.

About the Authors: Deborah Levine's writing for children, adults, and everyone in between has appeared in books, magazines, and online. She lives, works, eats, and occasionally cooks in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, two kids, and two cats. Twitter

JillEllyn Riley is a writer, editor, and fledgling drummer. She lives in Brooklyn with her family within a few steps of great pasta, pizza, and pastries in all directions.

(You can read an interview with them on the Smack Dab in the Middle blog.)

Best of all, a second book is scheduled for September of this year!

Any other cooking books for kids you like? Drop me a note in the comments.

Review of ALL FOUR STARS and Interview with Tara Dairman by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Yippee! Two book reviews in a row here at Project Mayhem. (Please go and read Jim Hill's review and interview with Varian Johnson yesterday.)

Now it's my turn, with Tara Dairman's debut ALL FOUR STARS, coming from Putnam on July 10th. I have loved this story ever since I saw the first 250 words in Authoress Anon's Baker's Dozen Auction in 2011. It was no surprise to me that it was snapped up by agent Ammi-Joan Paquette, and then a publishing deal was forthcoming in short order.

What It's About (from Goodreads): Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world.

But in order to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret! Easy as pie, right?

My Take:
This is classic middle grade, full of heart and humor. Gladys' parents are disasters in the kitchen--yet Gladys has gourmet tastes. The opening scene is indelible, with Gladys setting fire to the kitchen curtains with her father's blowtorch as she tries to put the finishing touches to the aforementioned crème brûlée.

The pace is unflagging as Gladys's school essay on "My Future" gets picked up by the food editor of The New York Standard. But the editor doesn't know Gladys is 11. It's up to Gladys to come up with some innovative ideas on how to sneak into New York City, review a top restaurant, and write her newspaper copy. Can you say "sticky situations?" They abound. My favorite one finds Gladys under a restaurant table... but if you want to know why she's in this situation, you'll have to read the book!

MY VERDICT: ALL FOUR STARS is worth 5 stars

Tara is also a great supporter of other writers, and is active on social media. She kindly answered a few questions for me and for the Mayhem readers:

1) Who are your favorite (middle grade) writers?

As a child, Roald Dahl was unquestionably my author of choice, with Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG topping my favorites list. (There's a BFG reference in ALL FOUR STARS, actually—see if you can catch it!) Then, of course, I grew up and had to read more serious stuff for a while. But in my early 20's, a little series called Harry Potter started blowing up, and I fell in love with middle grade all over again. I followed the Harry books with a Series of Unfortunate Events, which I also adored, so I credit J.K. Rowling and Lemony Snicket with bringing me back to kidlit, and inspiring me to try my hand at writing some myself.

2) What's on your nightstand now?

Well, I've got a travel guide for Bhutan...I really want to go to Bhutan. :) But I've also got an ARC of Be a Changemaker by Laurie Ann Thompson, Robert Lettrick's debut MG novel Frenzy, and Adi Rule's gorgeous YA debut Strange Sweet Song. (I already read that last one as an ARC, but I'm dying to read it again!)

3) Pick a favorite scene from your novel, and say why you like it.

Ooh, tough question. Well, there is a sequence that takes place at a terrible Broadway musical. In addition to it being a scene of high tension for Gladys thanks to her impending restaurant-review deadline, it was just an awful lot of fun for me to make up scenes and lyrics and costumes for a bad musical. (Also, my sister rooke is a musical theater actress, and I was able to squeeze a tiny cameo for her into that sequence. Gladys runs into a group of actors in the alleyway behind the theater while she's trying to make her escape, and an actress named Brooke gets a few lines.)

4) Fill in the blank: I'm really awesome at....

...saying the phrase “I speak a little Mandarin” in Mandarin. I learned that phrase, along with some other travel-related ones, off a CD before I traveled in China. Apparently, I learned it a little too well, because people who heard it would then try to have long conversations with me in Mandarin, much to my befuddlement. Sadly, the CD refused to teach me how to say “I do not speak Mandarin”!

5) My favorite breakfast is...

Fruit-topped Belgian waffles, bacon, and home fries, with a glass of milk and maybe some fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice on the side. Immediately followed by a nap.

6) If you could visit any place, where would it be? [In your case, this would probably read "revisit," since you are such an accomplished traveler!]

I already mentioned Bhutan, right? I got a glimpse of the Himalayas from western China, and have been itching to go back ever since.

ABOUT TARA: 


Tara Dairman is the author of the middle-grade novel ALL FOUR STARS, which will be published by Putnam/Penguin in 2014. She is also a playwright and a recovering round-the-world honeymooner (2 years, 74 countries!).

Tara holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College and is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. You can find her online in the following places:

Blog: taradairman.com/blog
Facebook: facebook.com/TaraDairmanAuthor
Twitter: @TaraDairman

Three 2014 Novels I'm Excited About by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

One of the exciting things about being a writer and a blogger is making connections with others. I am privileged to say that I "know" all three of these great writers--one of them in real life! Here's a bit about them, and a bit about their books:

HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL by my good friend and critique group member, Robin Herrera (March 11, 2014, Amulet Books). (I have the immense good fortune of being in a critique group with Robin and seven other amazing writers--for a total of 9, kinda like the Muses--which meets every couple of weeks in Portland. Robin joined the group just as her novel was being accepted for publication, so I never actually got to read it and sprinkle my pearls of wisdom on its pages. But having read her new work, I can vouch that she is incredibly funny and an amazing craftsperson.) Here's a summary of Hope is a Ferris Wheel--all blurbs are from Goodreads:

Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes. Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair. But when Star starts a poetry club, she develops a love of Emily Dickinson and, through Dickinson’s poetry, learns some important lessons about herself and comes to terms with her hopes for the future.With an unforgettable voice with a lot of heart, Hope Is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a young girl who learns to accept her family and herself while trying to make sense of the world around her.

ALL FOUR STARS by Tara Dairman (July 10, 2014 Putman). Tara and I connected when we were both selected to take part in the 2011 Baker's Dozen agent auction at Miss Snark's First Victim. I immediately loved the voice in her opening paragraphs and knew that this novel would go on to great things. Tara and I are Facebook and Twitter pals. Here's what All Four Stars  is about:

Gladys Gatsby has dreamed of becoming a restaurant critic for New York's biggest newspaper--she just didn’t expect to be assigned her first review at age 11. Now, if she wants to meet her deadline and hang on to her dream job, she’ll have to defy her fast-food-loving parents, cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy, and battle Manhattan’s meanest maitre d’.

THE EIGHTH DAY (April 22, 2014 HarperCollins) by Project Mayhem's very own Dianne Salerni. Dianne is an amazing writer, as well as being a 5th and 6th grade teacher. I am thrilled she is a part of Project Mayhem. I am equally thrilled that I got to read an ARC of this fast-paced novel--and could not put it down!!! Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

When Jax wakes up to a world without any people in it, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the eighth day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day.

And there's a reason Evangeline's hiding. She is a descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, and there is a group of people who wish to use her in order to destroy the normal seven-day world and all who live in it. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the entire human race from complete destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out.

One of the things I've read about supporting authors is to pre-order their novels from your local indie bookseller. You can bet I'll be letting my fingers do the walking for all three of these delicious novels, as I call Annie Bloom's, my local in Portland, and make a huge deal about my desire to own all three of these.

In the meantime, I'm giving away my ARC of THE EIGHTH DAY. Leave a comment and cross your fingers! (Extra credit for Tweeting, sharing on Facebook, and the like.)

Winner of Lisa Shroeder's FROSTING AND FRIENDSHIP ARC

The winner of my ARC is Tara Dairman. Tara is an author whose first novel, ALL FOUR STARS, will be published by G.P. Putnam in 2014!! You bet I'll be featuring her on the blog then.

Congrats to you, Tara--and thanks for supporting Project Mayhem.