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Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Stars So Sweet Blog Tour {review & giveaway}


I'm thrilled to have the Stars So Sweet Blog Tour stopping by today...


Stars So Sweet
(All Four Stars #3)
By Tara Dairman
July 19, 2016
Penguin
As the summer winds down and Gladys Gatsby prepares to start middle school, she is nervous about juggling schoolwork and looming deadlines from her secret job as the New York Standard’s youngest restaurant critic. When her editor pushes for a face-to-face meeting to discuss more opportunities with the paper, Gladys knows she must finally come clean to her parents. But her perfectly planned reveal is put on hold when her parents arrive home with a surprise: her Aunt Lydia, one of the only adults who knows her secret, fresh off the plane from Paris. Gladys and Aunt Lydia try one last ruse to fool her editor at the Standard, but even with her aunt’s help, Gladys just can’t manage the drama of middle school and a secret life. It’s time for Gladys to be true to herself and honest with her friends and family, regardless of what those around her think.

Advance praise for STARS SO SWEET:
"A tasty dish that series fans should eat up."

-KIRKUS

"An enjoyable entry in a fine series."
-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Foodie and secret food critic for a major NY newspaper, Gladys Gatsby, is about to embark on her greatest adventure yet: middle-school! Gladys soon finds that middle-school is full of drama and pressure, and she struggles to balance it all. And on top of all that, her editor at the newspaper wants to meet face to face to discuss exciting opportunities. Luckily, Gladys’ Aunt Lydia arrives from Paris just in time to help Gladys pull off one last ruse!


I’ve so enjoyed Tara Dairman’s sweet and delicious All Four Stars series and Stars So Sweet, book three, is simply yummy from beginning to end! All the charm, humor, heart, and sparkling storytelling that I’ve come to expect from and love about this series, is bursting off every page of Stars So Sweet. I have so loved watching Gladys’ wild and tasty adventures unfold throughout this series,  and in book three Dairman does a superb job of combining authentic and relatable tween life (middle-school, friendship issues, annoying parents, romance, etc) with Gladys’ more daring and sophisticated experience as an undercover food critic.

Dairman offers readers a wonderfully diverse and engaging cast of characters, from plucky, intelligent Gladys to funny Parm, entertaining Sandy, charming Charissa, and charismatic Aunt Lydia. I applaud Dairman for including  a LGBTQIA characters as well, as there is very little representation of such characters in middle-grade. And of course, FOOD is its own fantabulous character! From exotic cuisine to comfort food and drool-worthy desserts, Stars So Sweet has it all.

My final thoughts: Stars So Sweet is a fun, heartfelt, and delightful addition to a wonderful series young readers will just gobble up!

MY RATING
5/5 Cupcakes


Tiffany Crowder @ Crowded Studios
Tara Dairman is the author of the middle-grade foodie novel ALL FOUR STARS (Putnam/Penguin) which was named an Amazon Best Book of the Month and won a 2015 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. THE STARS OF SUMMER followed in 2015, and STARS SO SWEET (7/19/16) completes the series. Tara grew up in New York and holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College. After surviving the world's longest honeymoon (two years, seventy-four countries!), she now lives in Colorado with her family. Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram


Win all three books in the 
All Four Stars series!
The awesome folks at Penguin are offering a set of all three books, for one winner.
-US only
-ends 7/23
-the winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes
Fill out Rafflecopter to enter

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13 comments:

Jill the OWL said...

This so cute!!!! Love it. Glad you liked it as well. Thanks for the giveaway.

Lynnette said...

So glad to see another entry in the All Four Stars series! Looking forward to reading this.

Tara Dairman said...

Thanks so much for this review and giveaway, Aeicha!!

anne s. said...

My daughter absolutely loves this series. Can't wait to tell her about the latest one!

anne s. said...

My daughter absolutely loves this series. Can't wait to tell her about the latest one!

Danielle H. said...

You make these books sound like so much fun. I can't wait to read these delicious books!

kt giorgio said...

Can't wait to read all three!

Carl Scott said...

This is such an imaginative concept for a series. I bet kids everywhere just love it. Thanks for the chance to win these books.

Slowsly said...

This sounds like a great series for anyone on a diet. You can enjoy the delicious words without gaining a pound! Unless you are eating and reading! A great idea for a series.

jpetroroy said...

Such fun books.

Earl said...

I love recommending this series.

Sue Hull said...

My niece would definitely enjoy this book series. Thank you for the chance :)

Sue Hull said...

My niece would definitely enjoy this book series. Thank you for the chance :)