Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

I loved this book! It was poetic and I loved the relational stories within stories. Great read-aloud!

Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech is a hilarious book that will make you want Granny Torrelli to be a part of your family. Not only does she know how to make some delicious meals, but her funny antics will crack you up. Granny Torrelli also serves up a side dish of wisdom to try to help Rosie see why jealousy is not the answer. It is a super book for people of all ages and I think kids in fourth through eighth grade will especially relate to Rosie. The book touches on blindness, friendship, and how we see what is inside of ourselves. I could easily relate to the characters because each one has such a strong personality. I really like Rosie and think she has many qualities that make me want to be friends with her. Granny Torrelli makes you realize that jealousy gets you nowhere. The style is unique and I loved the short chapters! If you have not read this story, I highly recommend it. It just may make you want to cook soup, or any meal, with a family member and you will try to appreciate what you have.

I do love Creech's juveniles. I have not read her famous YA books yet but I certainly look forward to them!

Granny Torrelli makes soup is a cute story about a girl who's having trouble with her best friend and tells her granny about everything over a nice bowl of soup.

6th to 8th grade. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is a heartwarming tale of a teenager who works though her problems while cooking with her grandmother. Twelve year old Rosie is having trouble surmounting an argument that she's had with her best friend, the boy next door. But Rosie's Italian grandmother knows just what stories to share. Newbery award winner Sharon Creech writes as sensitively as ever about her character's hearts. She plays with an unusual prose style in that is arguably almost verse. For example she puts what the characters say in italics instead of quotes. Here is an example of a complete paragraph for the novel and how each one is so short. "Granny Torrelli comes over, says she's in charge of me tonight. She wants soup. Zuppa! she calls it. She says it like this: ZOO-puh!" There is a distilled quality to the text. Teenage readers will enjoy seeing an author break rules and tailor a text for a story. Thus as well as being a touching tale about family and friendship, it is highly suitable as a mentor text in a school setting. This book is highly recommended to public, and middle school libraries.

A girl called Rosie and a her pal, a boy called Bailey were the best friends. But once they had a problem of their friendship, And Granny Torrelli came and told Rosie about all the things that happened to Granny and her pal, a boy called Pardo. Then Rosie started to think about herself and Bailey.

 In this book there is a Grandma hows name is Granny Torrelli and she makes soup with hummer and a lot of sad, funny and exiting stories. But meanwhile she has a really sad life because Pardo how she loved got killed by getting under the train.

A story of boy-girl friendship and jealousy. Bailey and Rosie have been life-long friends. When a new girl moves into the neighborhood and shows an interest in Bailey, Rosie gets jealous. A parallel story is told by Granny Torrelli of similar issues in her past -- all while making a delicious homemade pasta meal with B and R. Good for students on the brink of boy-girl drama, fifth grade and up. Comes together well in the the end.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup tells a heart-warming story of a boy and girl growing up together and realizing that life is bigger than the street they live on. While Bailey is blind, he is very independent and capable. While Rosie knows this, her “stubborn Rosie self wants to help and protect Bailey every chance she gets. When Janine moves into the neighborhood, Rosie experiences feelings she has never had before. All the while, Granny Torrelli offers words of wisdom through stories as she makes dinners intended to bring people together. While the main focus of the story is not the disability afflicting Bailey, it gives a great example of comfortable interactions between people with a disability and those without. These encounters are so natural and easy, the reader can almost forget Bailey’s affliction and focus on his relationship with Rosie. It is a refreshing take on the topic of interaction between people with/without disabilities. The characters seem so real and believable; it is a great read for children and adults alike!
Library Implications: This would be a great read for a student struggling with a friendship with someone who is disabled in some way. It also is a great example of giving people their independence and not smothering them with help. Finally, readers could simply enjoy this book for the story it tells; everyone should have a Granny Torrelli!!!

Rosie discovers that her relationship with Bailey, a blind boy next door, is very similar to one that her Granny Torrelli had with a boy in Italy before immigrating to the United States. Most of the lessons Rosie learns take place in the kitchen as food is being prepared. This book should be used to bring families closer together. I found the writing style to be a bit "choppy" for my personal tastes, but it makes it easy for younger readers or for reading aloud when time is limited.

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is a sweet story about friendship and family. Although children would certainly enjoy reading this book on their own, it is a story that begs to be read aloud. Read this with your favorite children. It just might lead you to tell your own family stories while you teach them to make your favorite recipes!

With the help of her wise old grandmother, 12 year Rosie works out some problems with her best friend Bailey, the boy next door.

The story of an Italian grandmother passing on her wisdom to her granddaughter. Not one of Creech’s better novels.

Like how it was written in the langage of the character. Felt like I was there. Kids would get a great understanding on how to solve problems.

Granny helps a couple of friends patch things up. A quick read, but fun.

Everyone wants a grandma like this. After reading it you are speaking with an Italian accent!