Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love

Contributed by a multicultural group of authors, including Jay Coles, Sara Farizan, and Sandhya Menon, and representing a blending of genres and cultures, this #OwnVoices anthology considers the ways that food can feed both body and soul. Interconnected stories follow different inhabitants of Hungry Heart Row, where the residents are close and the myriad restaurants and bakeries feed more than just a hungry stomach. In Rebecca Roanhorse’s startling “The Missing Ingredient,” a biracial daughter just wants her mother to move on from her late Native American father’s failing restaurant. In Rin Chupeco’s vividly imagined “Sugar and Spite,” the magic whispered into Old Manila’s Soup No. 5 comes with a careful interview to make sure it’s used correctly. And Elsie Chapman’s “Kings and Queens” explores the burdens of serving dishes that can send a message of forgiveness or certain death. Emphasizing the importance of love, family, and culture, and written with delectable descriptions, each story is best savored like a favorite dish: slowly and with great relish. Ages 12–up. (June)

Correction: Sara Farizan's name was misspelled in a previous version of this review.