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The Crepe Makers' Bond

3.23 of 5 stars 3.23 · rating details · 61 ratings · 28 reviews

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 dishes she crafts when she’s feeling frustrated by the world. And it’s turning into a frustrating year. Ariel, Nicki, and Mattie have been inseparable friends since they were little kids, but now Mattie’s mom has decided to move away....more

Hardcover, 264 pages

Published April 1st 2011 by Milkweed Editions (first published October 1st 2010)

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Sep 06, 2010 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, 2010, netgalley, arc, contemporary, ya

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 instructions, I do...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Cindy Hudson rated it 3 of 5 stars

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...more

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Apr 16, 2011 cecilia rated it 3 of 5 stars

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-grader who is...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kritter-reviewed-2010, ebook

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 each chapter ends with a recipe, I...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Marlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school, chick-lit

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 appearance, her grades, and what othe...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Only those who read Discovering Pig Magic and really want to find out how the characters faired

Shelves: galley, ya-or-mg-reads, at-bjhs

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 writing is incredibly stilted and the d...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Miranda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-own, netgalley

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...more 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 book, although there’s a lot of other notable things.

Going back to the earthquake bit, I have to say that Crabtree’s descriptions of being in an earthquake and the silence afterwards were amazing. It honestly did feel like you were right there with the characters as it happened. It was, as Ariel notes, pretty good foreshadowing to what would happen later.

The characters are extremely well done in that they sound like authentic middle graders, and act like middle graders as well. They’re sometimes bratty, sometimes get irritated for no good reason, sometimes they don’t necessarily think things through, but otherwise they’re okay. I think the best out of the trio was Ariel, which makes sense as it is her book. I never really warmed up to Nicki or Mattie, but I did like the friendship between the three girls and how Ariel was willing to do anything to keep it.

Which it what it comes down to in the book, really: The theme of friendship and growing up and learning to say goodbye to someone you love, even if it’s not for forever. Ariel’s main concern in offering to let Mattie live with her was, of course, the fact that Mattie would feel out of place in a new middle school for the last year, but really deep down Ariel didn’t want to lose her closest friend. So, in order to keep Mattie close for a little while longer, she asks Mattie to live with her without really thinking about how such a thing will effect her life, as middle schoolers are wont to do. It is a realistic thing for a middle schooler to do, less realistic for the parents to go along with it, but that’s where the suspension of belief comes in anyway.

The pacing was off at times, especially as it’s a small book, and it took almost a hundred pages of build up to even get to the point of Ariel asking Mattie to live with her. In the beginning it seemed like Crabtree was just trying to fill up some page space so the main plot didn’t happen right away, with a frankly disposable subplot about Ariel’s father that added nothing to the story. It was just there to bulk up the story a bit, but it definitely felt out of place. The whole drama surrounding Nicki’s secret was also pretty heavy handed, with Ariel mentioning it every single time she sees Nicki, even when it’s clear that Nicki would rather not talk about it at all. It was obvious build up to the rushed conclusion of that subplot, with Nicki revealing everything, and the reveal itself was obviously a build up for another book. Sometimes the writing was stilted and sometimes the main characters didn’t exactly sound middle school, but those times were few and far between.

The Crepe Makers’ Bond is one of those books you read on a slow afternoon when you just want to turn your brain off. It’s entertaining and it definitely calls for some suspension of belief, but the themes of friendship and what you would do to keep that friendship is a nice message to send. The book definitely won’t be for everyone but middle graders and young girls I’m sure will enjoy it.(less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, realistic-fiction, arcs, netgalley, struggling-and-reluctant-readers

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.

The pr...more

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Nov 08, 2010 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, 2010

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 quickly concoct a plan t...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-books, netgalley

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 their...more

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Jul 20, 2010 Kari Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 this book onlin...more 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 this book online from NetGalley.com(my new favorite website). The Crepe Makers’ Bond will be released in October. To pre-order a copy, click here.

Anyone who has ever lived with a friend for more than a couple of weeks knows what Ariel is going through when M moves in. You love your best friend, but there are some people, you find, that you just can’t live with. And the sad thing about this is that it wears on your friendship, sometimes so much that it crumbles and you can’t get it back.

While I read a lot of reviews that say books are dated when they use real life shows and time frames, I love that I knew the shows these girls were talking about, The Sopranos for instance. I really liked that it is very believable that it is based on a true story. I actually had to look back after I finished the book to check for sure if it was based on the childhood of Julie Crabtree, but one of the first pages says it was made up. Wahh Wahh.

One of the things that I like best about this book is that every chapter begins/ends with a recipe. Snacks, desserts, dinner, you name it, Ariel has a recipe. The dish is mentioned in the chapter and you can expect a recipe before the next one. Some of the stuff sounded delicious too. I am going to have to write them all down before my subscription to the book runs out!

As much as I tried to put it to the side, I couldn’t help but to get mad at the characters. I know that I am a decade older than them, and at one time in my life, I had the same issues that I am sure I whined and cried about, but I found myself angry with them, being petty, telling them in my head to grow up. I guess I don’t have enough patience. That’s something I’ll need to work on before I have kids I guess!

This was a very cute, quick, YA read and I give it 4 bookmarks.

(less)

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Aug 31, 2011 Tracie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-lit, middle-school

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 though the e...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Clementine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, mg, fiction

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.

Soli...more 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.

Solidly falling into the middle-grade reading level, Crabtree’s latest book is best-suited for chefs-in-training. Recipes mentioned or made in the novel bookend each chapter, each step broken down for novice-to-intermediate-level cooks to follow. Some of the recipes look pretty good, and Crabtree does a decent enough job of making each recipe fit the theme of the chapter.

However, the story itself is problematic. The Crepe Maker’s Bond is actually a companion novel to Crabtree’s Discovering Pig Magic, which is told from Mattie’s perspective. If the clunky (and a little insulting) exposition near the end of this book is any indication, there will be a third novel featuring the viewpoint of Nicki. The problem is that this isn’t made clear enough anywhere on the book, and instead of providing a summary of what happened to the three best friends in the first novel, narrator Ariel tells the reader to read the first book. The breach of the fourth wall isn’t necessarily a cardinal sin in my eyes, but it was kind of irritating.

In addition to not having a sense for characters who were established in the previous book, the pacing of this book is unbelievably slow. The first three-quarters of the novel see very little rising action. The rush to create a climax and denouement is awkward and more than a little jarring. In fact, the climax and resolution are told almost entirely through exposition: the reader isn’t privy to much firsthand information. While the concept of the novel is promising enough–exploring the complexities of friendship and how that can change–it isn’t fully explored and is somewhat disappointing in its execution.

Of course, there was also the issue of Ariel herself. She was supposed to be a passionate cook and baker, but I never felt even a spark of interest from her when it came to cooking. Although much of her time was spent in the kitchen preparing meals for her family and friends, there didn’t seem to be any genuine enjoyment in it for her. To have that lacking in a book about a girl who loves to cook? Seems like quite an oversight.

Recommended (with reservations) for middle-grade readers who have a genuine interest in cooking. The vocabulary is pretty basic, which means it might work for reluctant or struggling readers, but only if they don’t mind a glacially slow plot.

The Crepe Makers’ Bond by Julie Crabtree. Milkweed Editions: 2010. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley.(less)

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Jul 19, 2011 Karly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

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 be enjoye...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Aislynn (Stitch Read Cook) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, netgalley-read, read-in-2011, arc-s-to-review

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 unique. One of the great th...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Jenn (Booksessed) rated it 2 of 5 stars

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...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Katie Fitzgerald rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, reviewed-on-blog, published-2010s

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...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Joolin rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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Jun 24, 2011 Mrs. Mulligan rated it 3 of 5 stars

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.

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Feb 29, 2012 WCPL Teens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: elaine-reads, chick-lit

Looking for a yummy read and tasty recipes? Food holds together eighth graders Ariel, Nicki and M. Whenever a problem arises, Ariel is quick to create a food solution. The trio has been inseparable since youngsters. When M’s mom drops the bomb they’re moving up the coast for her new job, the girls hatch an idea to keep M with them. Ariel doesn’t expect the growing friction and feelings of jealousy she feels after M moves in with her family. A major blowup finds M headed to her mom’s home, Nicki...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

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.

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Nov 26, 2011 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books

I found this to be slow and not that interesting. If you like recipes you will enjoy. For girls in grades 5 and up.

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Jun 07, 2011 Stewie's Mom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: june-2011

A delightful look at being a young teen!

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Jul 03, 2011 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Slow and I spent the whole book wondering about the title.

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Apr 21, 2011 C rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorties

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.

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Aug 23, 2011 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tug-at-the-heart-books

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.

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Jun 29, 2011 Samantha Hendzell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-realistic

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.

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Jun 07, 2012 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cute book, another fun book for cook lovers I came across that also gave me yummy recipies to try too. Makes me in a good cooking mood.

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Mar 13, 2013 Milkweed Editions added it

Shelves: children-and-young-adult

Mar 10, 2013 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars

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