Stern, S. & Stern, S. (2005). Sam Stern’s Cooking Up a Storm. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 076362988X.
Plot Summary: A collection of delicious recipes from British teen food enthusiast, Sam Stern. Targeted to young adults, recipes are broken down into categories like “Cool, Quick Lunches”, ”Evening Chill Out”, ”When Friends Stop By”, “Party, Party, Party”, and “School Recovery." Recipes range from traditional classics like scrambled eggs to ethnic-inspired Thai Green Curry and Char Sui Pork. Clear instructions for teens are explained with conversational terms like “slap on a piece of cheese” and “add any herbs you can find in the refrigerator” and include easily found ingredients. A section in the book also offers tips about taking vitamins, getting proper exercise and eating energy-loaded foods during school exam time.
Critical Evaluation: The subtitle for this cookbook is “The Teen Survival Cookbook,” and is endorsed by Celebrity British Chef Jamie Oliver, which will appeal to teens. I have tried several recipes from this book and they were surprisingly tasty, inventive and practical. The book includes recipes for foods like pizza, hamburgers and shortbread cookies that teens like to eat and there are lots of bright photos of the author, his friends and family who have contributed to the book. The tone of the book is meant to seem like one teen speaking plainly to other teens about his adventures in cooking and his favorite creations. It’s a well-crafted and well-planned book with just the right kind of recipes, the right amount of complexity and the right amount of pages.
Reader’s Annotation: You love to eat pizza, pancakes and garlic mashed potatoes? Why not make your own? If high school student Sam Stern can do it, you can, too. Here are his favorite, yummy and easy recipes.
Information About the Author: Sam Stern published his first cookbook at age 15 and has released three more cookbooks for teens in the past four years. He’s become a young celebrity chef in Britain and writes a regular column called “Sam’s Super Kids” in First News. As the youngest of five siblings, he received business and culinary guidance from his co-author mom, Susan Stern. His ultimate dream is to run his own restaurant between treks to the North Pole and China. At age 19, he is currently a sociology and political studies student at the University of Edinburgh.
Genre:
Teen Self-Help: Healthy Eating, Hobbies
YA non-fiction: Cookbooks
Curriculum Ties: Health class, Physical Education class, Homemaking Class, Afterschool Activities, Book Clubs
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) Favorite teen foods
2.) How to be creative in the kitchen
3.) Vocational Guidance: A teen who turned his passion into a product
4.) Book Club Activity: Recipes relating to Book Club readings and activities
5.) British teen experience versus American teen experience
Reading Level/Interest Age: Age: 13-20
Challenge Issues/Defenses:
Potential Challenges: None that I can anticipate. There’s no offensive language, images or references. The recipes represent diversity, the instructions are clear and the tips are sensible. Perhaps a chauvinistic person might dispute the encouragement of young men learning to cook in kitchens, as this may be perceived as a female’s domain and an activity appropriate for gals only.
Defense Strategy:
• Provide a list confirming that culinary arts is an industry dominated by men:
http://www.articleswave.com/articles/famous-chefs.html
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp
• Refer to book reviews about this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Up-Storm-Survival-Cookbook/dp/076362988X
http://www.superchefblog.com/2006/11/sam-sterns-cooking-up-storm.html
Why This Book Was Included: I’m glad to see cookbooks being published particularly for teens. They often have an interest in culinary arts, but get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of specialty books found in the adult section and their complex instructions assuming readers to be experienced cooks. It really is a good cookbook with tasty renditions and it’s colorful presentation that will appeal to teens. I wish there was a book like this for me when I was a hungry teen!
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