Ariel is the head chef in her family kitchen. Cucumber salads, fettuccine carbonara, fish tacos, and peanut butter pie are just a few of the dis... read full description
reviews
Sep 06, 2010
Tina
rated it: 
Original post at One More Page
I am a cookbook person. By that, I mean, I can only cook if there is a cookbook involved. I'm not the type of person who can mix everything they can find in the fridge and make something absolutely amazing with it. I guess this is why I know I'm more of a baker than a chef because baking needs precise steps and ingredients and you just cant throw everything in a mixing bowl and stick it in the oven to see if it would work. In the kitchen, I follow instruct More...
I am a cookbook person. By that, I mean, I can only cook if there is a cookbook involved. I'm not the type of person who can mix everything they can find in the fridge and make something absolutely amazing with it. I guess this is why I know I'm more of a baker than a chef because baking needs precise steps and ingredients and you just cant throw everything in a mixing bowl and stick it in the oven to see if it would work. In the kitchen, I follow instruct More...
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Jun 14, 2011
Cindy
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Ariel loves to cook. It helps her forget about the fact that she already has a huge chest that the eighth grade boys love to stare at, and that her family can really embarrass her sometimes. She especially loves to cook for her best friends, Nicki and M, and they can talk about anything that’s bothering them as they eat. But when M’s mom announces that they’re moving from Alameda to Crescent City, California, Ariel knows how important it is for her friend to finish middle school before she leave
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Apr 16, 2011
cecilia
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I thought these girls were a lot older than 8th grade when I first saw this book. The first cover with the aprons almost belied a much-older book with adult women who might bond over love of cooking. The official cover with the hands will make it more appealing to a younger audience, but I still find those hands rather old-looking. I wish there had been young girls on the cover to properly prepare me for a younger mindset.
The Crepe Makers' Bond makes an excellent read for a middle-grad More...
The Crepe Makers' Bond makes an excellent read for a middle-grad More...
Oct 25, 2010
Kristin (Kritters Ramblings)
rated it: 
Welp. I am completely torn on this short and quick read. I read it completely in one day, which was a boost to my ego since I have had a few rough weeks in terms of my reading completion. BUT I wasn't a super fan of this book.
A cute little read about three friends who are trying to complete middle school in the midst of middle school "drama." The concept of the story was great and I would definitely pass it along to my young friends and followers.
Although - as e More...
A cute little read about three friends who are trying to complete middle school in the midst of middle school "drama." The concept of the story was great and I would definitely pass it along to my young friends and followers.
Although - as e More...
Sep 22, 2010
Marlyn
rated it: 
The sequel to Discovering Pig Magic (main character, Mattie) has as its protagonist Mattie’s longtime best friend, Ariel.
Ariel loves to cook; it’s her joy and her ambition. The story begins the night before the first day of eighth grade. Ariel is stressed about what to wear, and can’t sleep, so she stays up until nearly midnight making sesame cucumber salad.
Apart from her love of cooking, Ariel is a relatively typical 13-year-old girl who worries about her appearanc More...
Ariel loves to cook; it’s her joy and her ambition. The story begins the night before the first day of eighth grade. Ariel is stressed about what to wear, and can’t sleep, so she stays up until nearly midnight making sesame cucumber salad.
Apart from her love of cooking, Ariel is a relatively typical 13-year-old girl who worries about her appearanc More...
Apr 13, 2011
Karen
rated it: 
I think one of the great things about being an adult is being able to shelve a book when you really don't care for it. However, since it was a galley and I had already agreed to review this one, I trudged on.
The story concerns three middle school age friends: Ariel, M, and Nikki, and is told through Ariel's perspective. Ariel is an aspiring chef and one of "her" recipes is thrown in at the end of each chapter.
This book had a myriad of problems for me. The writi More...
The story concerns three middle school age friends: Ariel, M, and Nikki, and is told through Ariel's perspective. Ariel is an aspiring chef and one of "her" recipes is thrown in at the end of each chapter.
This book had a myriad of problems for me. The writi More...
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Apr 14, 2011
Merle
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I suggest having a snack on hand to eat while you read this book, because it will leave you starving. Seriously. There are recipes included in between chapter breaks that sounded delicious, and I ended up having to skip most of them because they were making me hungry. A lot of the recipes have cute names, though, like “Shaky Ground Wonton”, named so because Ariel was making wontons when an earthquake hits in the beginning of the book. Those were actually probably one of the best parts of the boo
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Jan 17, 2011
Beth
rated it:
This was a very quick read with extremely simplistic writing. I hate to criticize the simplicity of the writing since I'm sure girls in the 11-13 age range that the book is written for appreciate uncomplicated prose, but the story just felt absent of something to make it unique and special. Crabtree attempted to make it special by making the main character a lover of food and baking. Each chapter (forcefully) mentioned some sort of dish, and then included a silly titled recipe at the end.
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Nov 08, 2010
Megan
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The Crepe Makers' Bond by Julie Crabtree
Milkweed Editions, April 2011
Provided for review by netGally.com
SUMMARY: As an aspiring chef Ariel finds comfort in the kitchen when times are tough and lately she has been spending a lot of time cooking away her frustrations. It's the last year of middle school and instead of enjoying it she and her two best friends seem to be drifting apart. Nicki is keeping a secret and Mattie's mom is planning to move away. The inseparable trio More...
Milkweed Editions, April 2011
Provided for review by netGally.com
SUMMARY: As an aspiring chef Ariel finds comfort in the kitchen when times are tough and lately she has been spending a lot of time cooking away her frustrations. It's the last year of middle school and instead of enjoying it she and her two best friends seem to be drifting apart. Nicki is keeping a secret and Mattie's mom is planning to move away. The inseparable trio More...
Jun 10, 2011
Jackie
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Three friends learn how to navigate the waters of 8th grade together. Maddie or M for short is the super smart one in the group but she's got issues at home. Her parents are divorced and her mom suffers from agoraphobia. M has been best friends with Ariel since preschool. They have shared a lot together over the years. Ariel has a great home life and wants to be the next Rachel Ray but has a lot of self-consciousness because of her bright red hair and large um, bosom. The newest member of t
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Jul 20, 2010
Kari
rated it:
8th grade is hard enough as it is. Harder classes, harder to fit in and even harder when it all falls apart in front of your eyes. Ariel, M and Nicki have been best friends forever but M’s mom is moving and taking M along. Now the girls have to think of a plan to keep M around. But be careful what you wish for, because after all the hard work is done, it may not be what you wanted. To deal with all the pain, heartache and drama, Ariel heads to the kitchen to sooth her soul.
I read thi More...
I read thi More...
Aug 31, 2011
Tracie
rated it:
I'd give this 2.5 stars. Something about this story bothered me but I can't quite figure out what. Maybe it's that I hadn't read the first book. This one could stand alone, but there's a lot of focus on M and I just didn't feel like her character was developed enough here. It was often hard to understand why she reacted the way she did and maybe reading the first story, which focused on her, would have clarified things. The third friend, Nicki, is pretty much a shell character here thou
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Apr 06, 2011
Sara E.
rated it:
A really cute middle school (or even older elementary age) realistic fiction featuring some pretty delicious sounding recipes. 14 year old Ariel loves to cook, especially for her two best friends, Nicki and Mattie. However, their world is soon shaken when Mattie's mom decides to sell her house and move, tearing up the threesome. The girls soon formulate a plan, to have Mattie spend the rest of the school year living with Ariel and her family, which the adults all wind up agreeing to. At first, A
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Aug 04, 2011
Clementine
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Ariel, Mattie, and Nicki have been best friends for a long time. It’s the last year of middle school, and the girls are horrified when they find out that Mattie’s mom is moving the family away. The girls devise a plan: Mattie will move in with Ariel’s family for the rest of the school year. Ariel is sure this will make them closer than ever, but the opposite happens when everything that Mattie does drives her crazy. The two girls grow further apart, and their entire friendship is threatened.
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Jul 19, 2011
Karly
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Ariel, Nicki, and Mattie are three best friends about to head into their last year of middle school. When Mattie finds out her mom plans to move, she & Ariel decide the only solution is for Mattie to move in with Ariel. What they think will be a fantastic year turns ends up threatening their whole friendship.
There are recipes for the dishes that Ariel makes throughout the book, a very cute addition. The lessons about friendships and family are abundant and the story will definitely b More...
There are recipes for the dishes that Ariel makes throughout the book, a very cute addition. The lessons about friendships and family are abundant and the story will definitely b More...
Aug 20, 2011
Aislynn (Stitch Read Cook)
rated it:
This wasn't quite what I expected. When I initially picked up this book I didn't realize it was a YA novel.
While the story was cute, and well written. It didn't grab me the way I had hoped it would. the relationship between Ariel and her friends was great - they have been friends for years and like any pre-teen spend every waking moment with or talking to.
Ariel loves to cook, and spends a great deal of time working out her personal problems while she creates something More...
While the story was cute, and well written. It didn't grab me the way I had hoped it would. the relationship between Ariel and her friends was great - they have been friends for years and like any pre-teen spend every waking moment with or talking to.
Ariel loves to cook, and spends a great deal of time working out her personal problems while she creates something More...
Oct 11, 2011
Jenn (Booksessed)
rated it:
I thought that the plot of this novel was interesting. It is the story of three best friends at that age when being a girl is beginning to get complicated. I thought the protagonist Ariel was very unique as well. She's a novice chef of sorts. She's won some contents and cooks to relieve stress. I can relate to the latter. Cooking and baking is just one of those soothing things that I love to do. Another great thing about the novel is that all the recipes that are mentioned in the novel are inclu
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Aug 04, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Unfortunately, the writing didn't feel as polished in this book as it could have. There were times where I felt that the narration repeated itself, or over-explained itself where no explanation was needed at all. I also didn't think the title was a great fit, since there are no references to crepes at all until very late in the story. Finally, I wasn't crazy about the cookbook format, even though the recipes seemed delicious, and mostly related to the plot. That is just a matter of personal pref
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Nov 02, 2011
Joolin
rated it:
It was a simple read with what I thought could have been an interesting plot. However, it wasn't truly developed and had a predictable ending. I'm not sure what the title has to do with the entire story line. I love books with recipes but didn't feel drawn to try any of the recipes.
Jun 24, 2011
Mrs. Mulligan
rated it:
Reading this through Warren County Library Online Teen Book Club...short selections of a novel delivered via email each day for a week. Hoping to "discover" new authors for my students and myself.
Jul 20, 2011
Alicia
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A light, fast read....not quite sure why it's a YA since the girls are in middle school and have no real sex, drugs, issues to speak of.
Nov 26, 2011
Gina
rated it:
I found this to be slow and not that interesting. If you like recipes you will enjoy. For girls in grades 5 and up.
Apr 21, 2011
C
rated it: 
This is an essential read for any middle graders! Also great for adults, to reminise on the troubles of middle school. It also rings very true, I recently finished middle school and this book is very relateable. I would recommend reading the first book in the series, Discovering Pig magic, first, as it gives more depth to the characters to read the entire story. Overall a great read with fun recipes and cooking tips.
Oct 29, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
This book was a really good book. I loved how I was reading it, coincidentally during a time when I was going through some friendship trouble, I'm not going to say anymore. I loved the way that it was kind of set out like a personal diary :) It was written in the 1st person and it had different recipes for yummy food spread out throughout the book.
Jun 29, 2011
Samantha
rated it:
It was a nice friendship story. I really enjoyed how the main character related everything in her life to her cooking and the recipes that were included sound delicious. I'm definitely copying a few down to try.
Jan 23, 2012
