Stir It Up

by Ramin Ganeshram

A Trinidadian-American girl’s dream is challenged by her family

Thirteen-year-old Anjali's life is rich with the smell of curry from her parents' roti shop and an absolute passion for food. More than anything, Anjali wants to be a chef who competes on a kids' cooking reality TV show. But Anjali must keep her wish a secret from her family, who thinks Anjali's passions are beneath her. Thank goodness for Deema, Anjali's grandmother, whose insight and love can push past even the oldest family beliefs. Woven with recipes that cook up emotions and actual culinary recipes that make food, this novel is as delicious as it is satisfying.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Food, Contemporary, Fiction, Childrens

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Ramin Ganeshram is a veteran journalist who has written for many prestigious publications such as THE NEW YORK TIMES, NEWSDAY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, and BON APPETIT, among others. She is also the author of SWEET HANDS: ISLAND COOKING FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. Additionally, Ramin is a food writer and professional chef, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. STIR IT UP! is her first book for children.

Reviews

[Cecelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book blogging is life-changing. Or at least reading-life-changing (I think I’m safe with that assessment). I’ve been influenced by other bloggers more than I ever imagined possible when I started out. It has come to this: I hardly ever read a book anymore if I haven’t previously heard about it through my network. And, funnily enough, sometimes books hear about me and come searching. Or make that a book’s author. In this case, Ramin Ganeshram scouted me out viaReading in Color (a really fantastic blog!), and had a publicist send her novel Stir It Up! for review. When you read the synopsis, you’ll see why this one ‘fit’ me exactly.

Take a talented kid with the skill and drive to succeed. Mix in one special opportunity, along with family pressure and disapproval. Add in a questionable decision, forgiveness, and bake with a touch of real life, and you get… Anjali’s story!

Stir It Up! is a middle grade contemporary novel filled with food, cultural lessons, and best of all, healthy family dynamics. One of the things I liked about the book is that Anjali and her family cooked together (watch out: it all sounds delicious and it will make you HUNGRY), and the recipes for that food were included at the end of each chapter. In fact, I tried one myself. If you want to check out Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies, I suggest you go out and get yourself a copy of Stir It Up!

Other pluses: introduction to Trinidadian-Indian-American culture, and the tight family scene. I can honestly say that I learned about food and more, but I never felt as if I was reading an educational book – just an enlightening one. Also, the protectiveness and cohesiveness of Anjali’s family reminded me of my own close-knit family. Bonus factor: Anjali’s best friend Linc (I have a brother named Lincoln!).

As Anjali is the main character, most of the book centers on her and her experience. Though she learns powerful lessons, she focuses so much on negative emotions that it is hard to get in her skin. I found Anjali interesting, but I could not connect with her. Favorite characters included Deema, with whom I’d like to sit down and sip tea and talk about life, and Chef Nyla, who helps kids learn to cook on a daily basis. Those are two wise ladies!

Recommended for: fans of contemporary middle grade fiction, anyone who has watched food shows and wondered about what goes on behind the scenes, and those looking for a good dose of diversity in their reading AND their food. Delicious!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this many years ago Ruth my daughter, and then later with my son. The story had good themes of supporting your children in following their dreams, not yours, as well as recipes, many of which we made. Now, 10 or 11 years later, my now-adult daughter is messaging me for one of the recipes, but, alas, all my books are packed in storage due to a water leak and remodeling. :(

[Serlena M · Rating 4 out of 5]

stir it up is a wonderful book about a girl named anjali who has big dreams to be a cook. when she tried too be a cook she goes through many obstacles to get what she wants, like for example her parents don't beloved that she can accomplish so much sometimes , or school gets in the way or even maybe friends don't help her out and set her back.
this is a very good book to read because, you can learn what it takes to make great sacrifices to get your dreams . kind of like the moral to the story. you can't give up like anjali wanted to you have to keep going no matter the circumstances. i think teens like me would loolbe to read this book if they like books that challenge them to think about the plot or theme. that's what make it such a good book.
my favorite part of the book is when anjali goes to a competition and gets picked to compete in a food network channel. i like his part because of have me a sense of hope for the main cia yet like wow she really worked hard for this part of the story. i'm pretty sure everyone will enjoy this part of the book .there arnt really so many things i disliked, rather then the chapters were being interrupted by a recipe that anjali makes up or uses. but besides that i would give this book a 8 out of 10 stars!!! i would absolutely read it again:)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I picked it up: It’s food fiction! And this one has recipes, and in my definition, that’s true food fiction.

Anjali works at her dad’s Trinidadian restaurant in Queens. She loves food, she loves to create new recipes, and her dream is to be the youngest star on the Food Network. The teacher at a local Saturday cooking class tells Anjali about contest for exactly that. Anjali is over the moon, but the tryout is the same day as the entrance exam for the high school her parents want her to go to.

Plot wise, this is fairly predictable. I found the fake “recipes for life” (there are recipes for Be Who You Are Bread, Ambition, and Success) to be way too cheesy and honestly, a bit of a turn-off. But I still enjoyed the quick read. I particularly liked Anjali and her best friend Linc and their relationship, especially as it was always a friendship and never hinted at more—not all books need a love interest! And not all male/female best friends fall for each other! The recipes looked good and had a lot of flavors that really interested me. I also appreciated that they didn’t seem dumbed-down for a younger audience.

Reading Bingo: My Choice

[Karlee Kamberling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all the other books I have read, this book is probably one of my top five favorite books. The author of this book is really good at making the readers not want to put the book down. My favorite part in this book is where Anjali tells herself that she is gonna make her dreams come true. This is my favorite part because she has confidence in herself and believes that she can do anything. This book just really inspires me. Anjali is a 13 year old girl in this book who wants to grow up to be a professional chef and have her own restaurant. She starts by working with her parents at their restaurant and cooking things with them and she makes her own creations sometimes too. She tells her parents that she wants to be a professional chef but they think her passions are behind her. Overall this book is really good.

[TheMadHatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick (180) page middle school book that I picked up somewhere (I have no idea how or why), but in an effort to downsize my books and discard a few every month I thought I would give this a quick read and pass it on to the 2nd hand shop.

It was cute, but very superficial and wooden in the writing. The recipes (West Indian) and talk of food was so well done and I love how the recipes were woven into the story (the author is clearly someone who knows her way around a kitchen), but there was little substance to it. Hopefully a much younger person will pick this up and find joy where cynical old me didn't :-)

Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2023 Annual A-Z "Follow the Clues" Challenge: "Y" Read a book with a Yellow title
Aussie Readers 2023 April "Greg Barron" Challenge: Barron has books published by Stories of Oz Publishing. Read a book where the first letters of each title word (minimum 3 words) is spelt in Stories of Oz Publishing (any order)

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

My romp through YA of the past few years is continuing. My latest victim? Stir It Up: A Novel: A Novel, a book about a New York teenager from "Little Trinidad" who aspires to be a Food Network chef. The book seemed to be half recipes, half narrative.

Pros:
1. The food described sounds delicious. Trinidad and Tobago combines Indian, Caribbean, and Chinese food cultures into one delicious amalgamation. I was hungry the entire time I read.
2. The premise was cute. I liked the idea of a kid chef contest.
3. The main character wasn't dumbed down; she may have been an 8th grader, but her food and her passion for cooking seemed authentic.
4. The setting was new to me; I learned a bit about that part of Queens.

Cons:
1. I was hungry the entire time I read.
2. The parents were the worst. And there was no exploration of the family dynamics at all.
3. The book was insanely short. Even for a middle-grade novel.

I think I'd want to check out Ramin Ganeshram's cookbook, Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this to anyone other than an aspiring foodie.

[Marissa Mayers]

This book makes you wonder what will happen next.A girl from Trinidad named Anjali wants to become a celebrity chef. her parents think her passion is beneath her.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram is about a girl named Anjali trying to make her cooking dream come true. Her parents own a restaurant and Anjali wants to make a TV show about cooking, but her father doesn’t allow her to. One of the reasons why is because Anjali has the Stuyvesant test the same day (The Stuyvesant test is a test that you have to take in order to go to Stuyvesant school.) Her father wants her to go to a cooking school. The book is trying to teach you that you may not always get what you want. You will be surprised about Anjali’s choice between Stuyvesant and the competition.What makes this book interesting is all the exhilarating parts throughout the book. I am going to tell you about Anjali in the restaurant with family and exciting moments, because these are my favorite parts. If you like books without any boring moments but has many exciting moments, chose Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram. I liked Stir It Up because it was very exhilarating and happy.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought the book because I need to add some more Latin American books to my classroom library. It was on a recommended reading list that had brought me Pie in the Sky, a book I truly enjoyed.
The book was intended for a younger audience than I intended. I'm curious about the recipes and may check out the cookbook the recipes came from. I appreciate that this was also about the Muslim community, as well as Trinidadian culture. I also liked the problems a Muslim chef faces with all those cooking shows: religious dietary restrictions.
I'm hoping that my students will enjoy the book more than I did.

[Nandini Arakoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read this book, I couldn't put it down. As a little brown girl, this book was everything to me. I had spent my entire childhood reading books about all these characters I looked nothing like, but here was Anjali, a brown girl who looked like me, had a family like mine, and even had a life that related to me. I enjoyed reading about all of her hardships and her adventures cooking. Anjali was the first character that I truly related to, and she helped me find myself as I grew up. This book was my comfort book my entire childhood, to the point that the pages of have become worn. Even as I got older, I can't manage to donate my copy of this book because it meant so much to me.

[Fatima Almansouri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram was a book that I wanted to read for a long time so when I got the opportunity to read it, I didn't hesitate at all. It was very different from what I usually read more inspiration and motivation to follow your dreams and work for your goals. I really enjoyed every word of this book it motivated me to work harder towards my goals in life. Even though it didn't turn out the way she liked it, she didn't give up but she kept on working and signing up for the program that she wanted to be in. And for that I really enjoyed the character.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stir It Up moves along with a quick pace pushed along by Anjali's strong, energetic character and her zest for life and cooking. The book is peppered with recipes for life (e.g. Be Who You Are Bread and Success) and for food (e.g. Anjali's Red Bean Pudding).

This was a fun, quick read. I was happy to read about an every day East Indian Caribbean family. The story is a little predictable and not very deep, but sometimes it really is okay to read just for fun!
Full review at http://carolmitchellbooks.com/2018/05...

[Pooja Banga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Anjali's life is rich with the smell of curry from her parents' roti shop and an absolute passion for food. More than anything, Anjali wants to be a chef who competes on a kids' cooking reality TV show. But Anjali must keep her wish a secret from her family, who thinks Anjali's passions are beneath her. Thank goodness for Deema, Anjali's grandmother, whose insight and love can push past even the oldest family beliefs. Woven with recipes that cook up emotions and actual culinary recipes that make food, this novel is as delicious as it is satisfying.

[Mallory Judkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review on this book is that it is a very good book to read for young adults. This book is about a girl who loves to cook, and is very talented with her cooking skills. She gets her cooking skills from her family, which own a local restaurant. She is so talented that Food Network, the channel, reaches out for her to try out for their new show. But the audition is the same day as the big test. This book wants to show young adults about how to be true to themselves and follow their dreams.

[Pat Salvatini · Rating 1 out of 5]

When not busy working in the families restaurant, thirteen-year-old Anjali Krishnan dreams of becoming a celebrity chef. With the help of a cooking teacher her dreams are within reach. If she can lie to her parents, make it through the audition without compromising her religious beliefs, and not be intimidated by the other contestants. Ganeshram gives readers a much needed minority character but unfortunately the slow plot keeps the story from really taking off.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fairly predictable, but cute! It was quick-paced and could have had a bit more fleshing out. I think where it shined was talking about food (which makes sense as the author is a food writer and chef). I enjoyed reading about Trinidadian culture and all the food sounded amazing. There are recipes sprinkled throughout, and I liked the behind the scenes peek at a food show. I might check out the author's cookbooks from here.

[Amy Pike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anjali wanted to become a celebrity chef. She goes on a TV show to see if she can win the cooking contests. In the end she doesn't win. This book is teaching us that we can't always get what we want in life, but you have to try for it. Also I liked that there are recipes in the book for the food that Anjali made.

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came across this book while helping my daughter clear her shelves, so I read it. Now I want to cook curry. And make things with coconut. And make ginger beer. I really did enjoy the story, but now I think I need to go look for this author's cookbooks!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and simple YA book. The writing was focused and the characters were engaging. This is a great read for reading students who are hard to engage or are easily distracted. I'm happy to read a book outside of the standard WASP demographic that celebrates a culture without stereotypes.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good kids book. Easy read. Has lots of great recipes that I would like to try. :)

Moral of the story, if your kid seems to really enjoy something, dont deprive them of it for your own selfishness. You'll only make them miserable and rebel against you more.

[Toni Olaleto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll recommend this book to kids who love food themed stories. The book also serves up lessons on following your passion and the power of family support. I also loved the fun recipes that were sprinkled throughout the pages!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite genre: fiction with recipes. I copied down several from this book that I want to try.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute, quick read. I liked the food descriptions and the recipes. There was something not quite there for me where I felt it ended a bit too quickly after setting the characters up nicely.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book about courage and following your dreams. Life is one step at a time and learning as you go. Well done and inspiring.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story that made you hungry while reading about all the delicious food she was preparing and loved the story line cause I love watching things so close to Masterchef Chopped, etc

[IT Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very high interest book that will appeal 6-8th (the character is in 8th).

[ThundertheKilljoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book. It teaches the reader to take something not-so-good and turn it into something better, and/or move on and find better things in life.

[Carol Yee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this kid's book focused on food! Anjali's passion and creativity shine through.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short book on a young Trinidadian teenager from Queens who has a passion and skill for cooking Afro-Caribbean food. Fun NYC and Food Network references.