The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne - ESSENTIAL

Payne, C.C The Thing About Leftovers, 281 pgs. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016 $16.99.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

Fizzy (yes, Fizzy) Russo was having a great life.  That was until her parents divorced.  Then her life came apart.  Fizzy’s parents both remarry to different people and Fizzy feels, well, like a “leftover.”  There are only a couple of things that can keep her mind off of her sad life … her school, her aunt Liz, and cooking.  That’s because Fizzy is an aspiring chef who can cook almost anything.  She is hoping to win the Southern Living Cook-Off. With her world spinning around more confused than ever, she has to do everything she can to stay in the competition.  In competing, though, she finds that she has wonderful abilities and that she really is not a “leftover.”  You will be cheering for Fizzy the entire time.

I really loved this book because the author told the story in such way that I could feel like I was Fizzy.  I wanted to cry many times.  I did laugh a lot.  This book was incredibly touching.  It was also a very entertaining story.  The Thing About Leftovers will make you smile and realize you can do anything you set your mind to.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL. Student Reviewer: ASJ