Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet

By Sherri L. Smith

Book Overview

Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a "marvelously biracial, multicultural family" but what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on eighth-grade graduation day, that's a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to celebrate, and Ana's best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabatathe cutest boy in schoolfor a home-cooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their favorite dishes for dinner, and Grandma White and Nai Nai can't agree on anything. Ana is tired of feeling caught between her grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed to be on. But when they all sit down for their hot, sour, salty, and sweet meal, Ana comes to understand how each of these different flavors, like family, fit perfectly together.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385734174
• ISBN13: 9780385734172
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 167 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Book

This was purchased for a children's program at our local library. Can't comment on the book itself, as I haven't read it. But shipping was fast and book was in the condition promised.

A sweet mix of dilemmas and encounters.

Ana Shen's biracial family - a Chinese-American father and an Afro-American mother - brings two grandparents in town at the same time - which results in a host of new problems and a confusing blend of cultures for Ana. How best can she honor both her very different grandparents - at a meal during which each expects something different? Add the usual conflicts over friendships and coming of age and you have a sweet mix of dilemmas and encounters.

Culture Clash

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Sherri L. Smith takes place over the course of one day, starting at a girl's eighth grade graduation. Ana's entire family and both sets of grandparents come to her graduation ceremony, which is literally disastrous: a water pipe breaks, dousing the graduates just as Ana was beginning her salutatorian speech. After graduation, at the nudging of her best friend, she manages to invite her crush Jamie over for dinner. It sounds simple enough, but it's not. Her grandparents don't really get along. Ana's mom is African-American and her dad is Chinese-American. Ana, her parents, and her bouncy little brother are happy and well, but the grands always experience a cultural clash when they are in the same room. The grandmothers frequently try to one-up each other with gifts and stories. Now they'll try to do the same as they race to prepare the perfect dishes for Ana's impromptu graduation dinner. As if it weren't trouble enough having all of the grandparents in the kitchen cooking up completely different foods, some unexpected guests arrive, further complicating things. When Ana steps out of the kitchen and looks around the dinner table, she's bound to be surprised. Ultimately, her family's different cultures and tastes blend together and compliment each other, and the ending, like the meal, is satisfying for Ana. A quick G-rated read for middle school students that encourages the blending and appreciation of different cultures. Maybe a little predictable, but fairly innocuous. I also recommend Smith's previous releases, Sparrow and Lucy the Giant, to teens.