Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

by Sharon Creech

Overview

“A heartfelt novel celebrating friendship and family ties.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don’t always get along, that’s true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her interesting stories and family recipes. She understands from experience that life's twist and turns can't rattle the unique bond between two lifelong pals.

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech cooks up a delightfully tender novel filled with homemade dishes and secret recipes. It’s easier to remember what’s important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

Celebrate a special connection to a parent or grandparent by sharing this empathetic, funny book.

“A tasty treat.” –ALA Booklist (starred review)

“This is a meal that should not be missed.” –School Library Journal (starred review)

An ALA Notable Children’s Book and ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064409605
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/26/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	450,195
Product dimensions:	5.34(w) x 7.46(h) x 0.36(d)
Lexile:	810L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.

Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says.

www.sharoncreech.com

Hometown:

Pennington, New Jersey

Date of Birth:

July 29, 1945

Place of Birth:

Cleveland, Ohio

Education:

B.A., Hiram College, 1967; M.A., George Mason University, 1978

Read an Excerpt

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup PLM

That Bailey . . .

Bailey, that Bailey! He said to me, Rosie, get over yourself!

It was not a compliment.

I said, Bailey, you get over your own self.

Which shows you just how mad I was, to say such a dumb thing.

I'm Mad . . .

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup PLM. Copyright © by Sharon Creech. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Reading Group Guide

Introduction

In Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Sharon Creech cooks up another delightfully tender novel filled with warm words and secret recipes that proves nothing can break the bond between two lifelong pals.

The discussion topics in this reading group guide are intended to provide insight and spark conversations about the issues raised in this book regarding friendship and family.

Rosie's lifelong best friend, Bailey, is blind. However, this has never mattered to Rosie -- she has always found a way to get around any difficulties that have developed. But now that they're in different schools and have different friends, both Rosie and Bailey find themselves jealous of the new experiences they're unable to share together. They just can't seem to get along at all anymore, and Rosie doesn't know what to do to fix the problem. But, Rosie's Granny Torrelli does! With a dash of humor and a pinch of wisdom, Granny Torrelli helps Rosie and Bailey discover the recipe for a lasting friendship.

Topics for Discussion

1. Most of the story revolves around the preparation and consumption of food. What role does food play in Rosie's life? Granny Torrelli's? The whole family's? Can you give examples?
2. Rosie describes herself as a tiger, a fox, and an ice queen to convey specific feelings she experiences. Which feeling is reflected by the tiger? The fox? The ice queen? Can you think of similar ways to characterize feelings that you face?
3. Granny doesn't just make soup, she makes sense. What are some of the secret recipes and "little miracles" that Grannyperforms?
4. How does Bailey's blindness affect his friendship with Rosie? What changes? What stays the same? How does their friendship differ from one between two people with sight?
5. Why do you think Granny Torrelli still harbors sadness and regret over the loss of her friendship with Pardo? What do you think she would do differently if given a second chance?
6. The experiences that Granny Torrelli dealt with as a young woman, such as her love for Pardo and her jealousy of Violetta, are very similar to those Rosie and Bailey are facing now. Do you think Bailey and Rosie recognize these similarities? Do you think Granny Torrelli's reminiscing helps Rosie and Bailey better understand their own feelings?
7. Rosie spent a whole year learning Braille in secret to surprise Bailey. Why do you think she wanted it to be a surprise? Why do you think Bailey became so upset? And why was he okay with teaching Janine?
8. Granny Torrelli tells Rosie and Bailey she cut Violetta's hair because she was jealous that Pardo paid so much attention to the new girl. Do you think Granny Torrelli would have felt good if the haircut had made Violetta look ugly? Why are Rosie and Bailey so shocked that Granny Torrelli behaved like a "monster girl" in her youth?
9. Rosie learns important lessons while preparing the soup and pasta with Granny -- what does she learn from sharing those meals with the others?
10. Rosie feels very protective of her friendship with Bailey. Why do you think she suggests to Bailey that they invite all the neighbors to the pasta party even though she usually likes to keep him all to herself?
11. In the end, Rosie realizes that she cannot control who comes to her pasta party, or who will be her best buddy, and feels a sense of relief. Why does she feel so relieved? What are other feelings she could have felt instead?

About the Author

Sharon Creech is the author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, and the Newbery Honor winner The Wanderer. Her other work includes the novels Ruby Holler, Love That Dog, Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, and Pleasing the Ghost, and two picture books, A Fine, Fine School and Fishing in the Air. After spending eighteen years teaching and writing in Europe, Sharon Creech and her husband have returned to the United States to live.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Soup, pasta, and Granny Torrelli's wisdom are food for the soul in this hearteningly stirring, friendship-affirming novel from Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech. A sort of culinary Camp David filled with old-world charm, Granny Torrelli's kitchen is a delicious mix of cooking, storytelling, and understanding for 12-year-old Rosie and her visually impaired best friend, Bailey. After Rosie attempts to learn Braille in order to impress Bailey, bad feelings arise, and Bailey starts to focus more attention on a new girl who's moved into the neighborhood. Knowing the recipe for good friends, Granny Torrelli brings them together to cook zuppa and pasta, gently directing the preparation as she tells stories of yesteryear about jealous friends and forgiveness -- all of which bears a striking resemblance to Rosie and Bailey's situation. By the end, Rosie and Bailey understand each other better, and -- along with their two families and the new girl -- sit down for a jubilant meal made with hard work and lots of love.

Blending all the right ingredients for young and old readers alike, Creech's novel serves up a masterful array of emotion. The author's expert use of language is remarkable, with telling actions and understated phrases yielding powerful scenes that make Creech herself ever-present. This tasty morsel of a book is sure to leave readers' appetites whetted and their spirits strengthened. Matt Warner

bn.com

… Newbery Medal-winner Sharon Creech is responsible for this recipe, and everyone knows there's hardly a more seductive writer in the business. — Elizabeth Ward

The Washington Post

In a starred review, PW said, "A warm kitchen filled with inviting aromas sets the scene for this heartfelt novel celebrating friendship and family ties." Ages 8-12. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-7-Sharon Creech's novel (HarperCollins, 2003) provides a humorous and endearing narrative about intergenerational relationships. Twelve-year-old Rosie and her grandmother, Granny Torrelli, begin to make "zuppa" as the story unfolds. The culinary setting becomes the backdrop for conversations about the ups and downs of adolescence, and the growing pains associated with the change in friendships over the years. The audio rendition brings a palpable energy to the text. Donna Murphy excels with her vocal characterizations and pacing, providing a vivacious and empathetic reading for all the characters and their moods-the earthy, honest Rosie, animated Granny Torrelli, composed Bailey, and Rosie's bouncy, upbeat nemesis, Janine. Diction is clear throughout. This is especially important as Italian phrases and words are sprinkled throughout. Teachers and librarians who are focusing on children with disabilities can use this as an insightful tool, as Bailey's blindness is faced head-on. The culinary experience can be shared by visiting Sharon Creech's homepage (http://www.sharon creech.co.uk/torelli_recipes.asp) for Italian cooking recipes.-Tina Hudak, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Riverdale, MD Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Soup and pasta, that is. The preparation of the two dinners forms the structure for this loose little treatment in which 12-year-old Rosie works out her changing relationship with Bailey, the proverbial boy-next-door. The reader meets Rosie and her Granny as they slice and chop, Granny's penetrating questions and stories of her youth leading narrator Rosie to reflect in short vignettes on her lifelong friendship and on her current pre-adolescent difficulties. The scenario is repeated the following week, only now Bailey himself becomes part of the cooking crew, clearly benefiting as much from Granny's well-timed pauses as Rosie. Rosie's present-tense voice is fresh and young, with an ingenuous turn of phrase. The structure mitigates significant plot development, however: readers are presented with a situation-Bailey and Rosie redefine their childhood friendship-which is resolved ever-so-neatly, thanks to Granny's remarkably parallel stories and a few pinches of garlic. Full of good humor and aromatic seasonings, this offering nevertheless may not stick to the ribs. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews