Pie (Scholastic Gold)

My daughter 12 years old LOVES this book and tells me it is one of her favorites. I understand why, having read it myself yesterday. I liken the writing of the book to real pies -some have a bittersweet taste at first. However, as the blend of textures, flavors, aromas, goes over the palate, the first "taste/chapter" is a combination so mysterious, so intriguing; it is hard to put down. Before you know it--you can't get enough. An adult woman named Alice narrates the story from the perspective of her 12-year-old girlhood memory. It begins at a time shortly after her beloved Aunt Polly, unexpectedly dies. Aunt Polly was a lovely, kindhearted, eccentric woman, who lived simply. She also possessed a unique blend of strong ethics along with an award winning talent for pie making. The sudden loss of the town's pie maker extraordinaire affects the town on many levels. Adding to this is the revelation of her cryptic will, which leaves everyone in multiple states of grief, confusion, suspicion, and among a few...competition. Poor little Alice felt the pain of her Aunt's loss most of all. Time spent with Aunt Polly was treasured. Alice could confide in her Aunt, and Polly's attention always made Alice feel good. What makes this story so delightful is the element of satisfaction that stays with the reader. (Much like that full feeling you get after eating a great slice of pie.) The author, like the pie maker, takes joy in using her talents to provide some intellectual dessert and intrigue to the lives of others. Sprinkled among the chapters are some nice pie recipes. Best of all, the brain food stays on your mind, not on your hips.

For synopsis and details please see above. As a fan of Sarah Weeks I was not surprised that I totally enjoed PIE. With delicious recipes starting each chapter, it's humor in the cat inheriting the pie crust recipe, mystery surrounding said inheritance, friendship, romance (kiddie romance), and relationships it was quite a full yet quick read. I am on my way to set up a display right now with PIE, THE TEASHOP GIRLS and THE SECRET INGREDIENT by Laura Schaefer (see reviews below) and another new book THE CASE OF THE MISSING DEED by Ellen Schwartz. For middle grade fans of mysteries, cooking or friendship stories PIE is a terrific book.

Sarah Weeks' Pie is a bittersweet tale of family, friendship, grief, loss, mystery and comedy. It is the perfect recipe for a fun read. This is a great book for parents to share with their kids. It has true appeal for all ages. It is especially a great book for bakers, as it contains a pie recipe at the beginning of each chapter.

Alice's aunt Polly is the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, and when she dies, everyone in Ipswitch is upset. Not only was Polly such a nice person that she gave her pies away rather than selling them, but people were really hooked on her pies. Pie even amped up the town's economy. Polly's shop, Pie, had become a real tourist attraction in Ipswitch. After all, Polly was a 13-time winner of the national pie contest, the Blueberry. (Someone else entered her pies because she didn't care about honors and contests.) Alice is especially sad because she was very close to her aunt. To her surprise, her aunt leaves her a legacy, her grouchy cat, Lardo. And she has left her award-winning pie crust recipe to Lardo! Now half the town is baking pies, trying to win the Blueberry themselves. Including Alice's mother, who has envied Polly for years and resented the fact that Polly didn't use her gifts to make a lot of money. Alice's father doesn't bake; he sneezes. He's allergic to cats, so the addition of Lardo to his household is a little tough. As for Alice, she has no interest in making pies. Her own talent is for songwriting. Now she is trying to get along with Lardo, not the world's sweetest feline. When Lardo disappears from her room, Alice worries that he has been catnapped. Also, what is magazine reporter Sylvia DeSoto really up to? Let alone Mayor Needleman's wife, or Alice's principal, Miss Gurke? With a town full of secrets and failed pie crust, Alice and Aunt Polly's shop assistant Charlie set out to play Nancy Drew and one of the Hardy Boys, respectively. Sure, Charlie is good at fixing Alice's uncooperative bicycle chain, but he makes a pretty good friend, too. Alice is inclined to be self doubting, worrying about all the things she's said and done wrong. It will be clear to readers that what Polly most wanted to leave her niece was not a pie crust recipe; it was simple, everyday happiness. "But happiness seemed as far from Alice's reach as the disappearing pies in her dream. She lay in bed wondering if things would ever change, and that's when she remembered something her aunt Polly had once told her...." Polly quoted Henry David Thoreau, who said, "If you want things to be different, you have to start by changing yourself." Of course, Alice, being a self-doubter, takes this memory the wrong way and decides she should change everything about herself. Stuff like her singing, her imagination, and her hunches. Readers will be quick to realize that Alice's new goal is not a wise one. Sure enough, a few pages and a peach pie later, Alice gets it right. Other characters also grow and change, replacing old perspectives with new ones. This is a fairly slim book, a cheerful, unintimidating story of adventure and friendship--and pie.

Enjoyed reading this book with my daughter. She picked it for a project and it was great. Loved the cat and the mystery!

This was a touching story with a mystery appropriate for children to get excited about. My 8 year old and I enjoyed reading it, comparing thoughts and reviewing the clues. The weekend we both finished the story we made a pie from one of the recipes. "Fishing" the lemon seeds out of the fresh juice we had squeezed was fun. This is a book we recommend to family and friends and a story that has touched our hearts and stomachs.

I remember ordering this book from either the scholastic fun fair or their book order thing in middle school. I remembered it and picked up the book once again and read it in a single day. I'm now 19 years old and still love the book! Very fun and the descriptions of the pies are delectable. Would recommend to anyone who loves mystery and pies/baking.

What a wonderful book! We read this for our mother and daughter book club (girls are in 3rd grade) and it was perfect. This group of girls loved the book so much. After reading, we coordinated a Skype video chat with the author Sarah Weeks and she had a fantastic discussion with the girls. The mothers were so impressed with the author. To celebrate, each mother/daughter duo baked a Pie from one of the recipes in the book. I highly recommend this book! We cannot wait to read another Sarah Weeks book.