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Monday, July 5, 2010

YA Girls Pick


The Teashop Girls
by Laura Schaefer
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2008.
250 pages

This debut novel is quaint and charming and reminds readers of days gone by when polite people sat down for tea and conversation. In a world before text messages, IM, and multi-tasking, tea calmed the nerves, soothed the soul, and fed the mind.

Annie Green has always loved tea. That's because of her eccentric and charismatic grandmother Louisa who runs the off-kilter tea shop where tea is still brewed one pot at a time from aromatic tea leaves imported from far-away and exotic foreign places NOT tea from a mass marketed tea bag! Annie and her life-long friends Zoe and Genna have always called themselves the Teashop Girls. The three of them are inseparable and vow to stick together and honor the tradition of their weekly tea at Louisa's shop, The Steeping Leaf. Eighth grade changes all of this. Genna and Zoe have other interests, and soon Annie takes a part-time job at the tea shop and realizes her grandmother is in serious debt and may lose the beloved shop.

The Teashop Girls come together to develop a business plan for Louisa. A cute boy named Jonathan takes a job as a barrista. Neighborhood trouble-maker Zach gives Annie a hard time and seems to be everywhere she goes. Can Annie save the shop? Will she catch Jonathan's eye and possibly score a date? Can she ever get rid of pesky Zach?

Recommended for YA and younger, grades 5-8. Girls will love Annie and the Steeping Leaf. Annie includes recipes for Cucumber Sandwiches, party ideas, and even beauty remedies using, you guessed it, tea!


FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for the review, and in no way was this review influenced by getting the book from the publisher.

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