The Thing About Leftovers

The Thing About Leftovers

By C.C. Payne

3 ratings 4 reviews 3 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 5n/a4.964937
"This may capture the experience of children of divorce better than any book out there and deserves readership beyond a middle-grade audience. A winner!"-San Francisco Book Review

C. C. Payne intertwines heartache with humor and hope in a novel about navigating divorce and blended families, following your passion, and celebrating who you are.
 
Fizzy is a good Southern girl who just wants to be perfect. And win the Southern Living cook-off. The being perfect part is hard though, since her parents' divorced and everything in her life has changed. Wary of her too-perfect stepmom and her mom's neat-freak, dismissive boyfriend, she's often angry or upset and feels like a guest in both homes. She tells herself to face facts: She's a "leftover" kid from a marriage that her parents want to forget. But she has to keep all of that to herself, because a good Southern girl never yells, or throws fits, or says anything that might hurt other people's feelings--instead she throws her shoulders back, says yes ma'am, and tries to do better. So Fizzy tries her best, but it's hard to stay quiet when her family keeps getting more complicated. Fortunately, the Southern Living cook-off gives her a welcome distraction, as do her new friends Miyoko and Zach, who have parent issues of their own.
 
With the poignancy and humor of Joan Bauer and Lynda Mullaly Hunt, this poignant story reminds readers that they have a right to a voice, that it is okay to say how you feel, and that some leftovers are absolutely delicious!
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN-13: 9780147514226
ISBN-10: 0147514223
Published on 7/4/2017
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 288

Book Reviews (3)

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This book was a really sad book. If you like books that show you what reality is like, then this is the book for you! We get to see what Fizzy's life, and how she feels like she doesn't belong. We get to read not only about her life, but her love of cooking! I think this was a really good book. While it is a book that I wouldn't read again, I think that some people should give it a try, because I did enjoy it.

I really want to read this book because Fizzy is a lot like me. I'm going to borrow this book at the library to read this book!

I went to the library and literally closed my eyes and picked a random book. This was the book I picked, and I sat down and got engrossed in it immediately. I loved learning about Fizzy and her adventures with Zach and Miyoko. Fizzy's parents are divorced, and they both got remarried to seemingly perfect people. She adores cooking, and her dream is to win the Southern Living cookoff. I can relate to Fizzy, and that's why I think I liked the book so much. This is definitely a good read, especially for girls 10 and older. I hope you read it and like it as much as I do!

sounds intersting