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Stories Like Me

Pasta Girls

Pasta Girls

$19.99
$19.99
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Hardcover

Synopsis

In this queer, contemporary spin on Romeo and Juliet from Stonewall Award Honor author Taylor Tracy, two New York City girls from warring restaurateur families befriend each other during the busiest week for their respective Italian eateries: the Feast of San Gennaro.

Two restaurants, both alike in dignity…

Hot-headed and energetic Romea “just call me Ro” Marino is starting ninth grade with a full plate. Between the confusing social dynamics of high school and juggling extracurriculars, Ro can only find peace in the reliable comfort of her kitchen, where she’s able to follow in her dad’s culinary footsteps, whipping up cutting-edge Italian fusion recipes.

Thoughtful and reserved Julianna “Jules” Cangelosi is dying to help out in her family’s restaurant that serves traditional Italian dishes. But because Jules suffers from anxiety and struggles with overstimulation, her parents are wary of their daughter getting involved in an environment as chaotic as a New York City kitchen.

When Ro and Jules meet on the first night of the San Gennaro festival, sparks fly…until they learn that their fathers are sworn enemies who own dueling Italian restaurants across the street from each other. But the more the girls hang out—Ro teaching Jules how to cook; Jules taking Ro to her favorite spots around the city—the more their feelings grow. Can they rewrite an old tale of star-crossed lovers and create a new recipe for love and happiness?

Rising star Taylor Tracy’s delicious, neurodiverse remix of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a must-read love letter to Little Italy, pasta, and rule-breaking young love.


Author

Taylor Tracy is the author of the Stonewall Award Honor Book Murray Out of Water. Taylor writes books filled with humor and heart that explore the joys and hopes of queer kids, focusing on mental health, found family, and the importance of a sense of community. She lives in New Jersey with her family, including a fluffle of mischievous rescue bunnies, and loves everything her home state has to offer: the best bagels, pizza, and beaches. When not writing, she can be found down the shore, in the rock gym or next to her growing pile of books to read and love. Visit her online at taylorismyfirstname.com.

 

Praise
"Pasta Girls is a fun and romantic ride about two neurodivergent lesbians discovering who they are and who they want to be. Tracy has written a Shakespeare retelling that centers her queer middle grade characters' needs within this age old story. A book perfect for any readers' shelf that will have you yearning to be kissed on a ferris wheel, eat all the pasta, and make plans for the next San Gennaro." -Nicole Melleby, award-winning author of Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine
"Pasta Girls is the middle-grade Romeo and Juliet retelling of my dreams. This aptly constructed tale of pasta and woe is filled to the brim with heart, humor, and forbidden first love. Ro and Jules are as unforgettable as they are loveable and this Shakespearean tale of family, food, and friendship will stay with you long after you have closed the book." -Nashe Jones, author of Courtesy of Cupid
"Pasta Girls is a feast: of first love, friendship, family, and finding your way. Readers will root for Ro and Jules as they refuse to settle for anything less than their dreams, even if they are still trying to figure out what shape those dreams will take. A beautiful middle grade love story." -Kate Fussner, author of 13 Ways to Say Goodbye and The Song of Us
"Tracy retains some key characteristics of Shakespeare’s story and inserts literary references, but this tragedy-free version is a feel-good romance. An inclusive, well-characterized reimagining of a classic." -Kirkus Reviews
"[A] crafty new twist on the star-crossed lovers trope of Romeo and Juliet, this fast-paced queer tween love story will leave readers pondering family, friendship, and what it means to be a part of a community." -Booklist
Product Details

ISBN: 9780063326866
336 pages
8.3 in H | 5.5 in W | 0.8 lb Wt

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