Take 5: Mouth Watering Reads (Foodie Fiction for Teens)

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
I am a huge Joan Bauer fan and this is one of my favorite foodie titles. Hope has bounced from town to town, and finds herself in a rural town in Wisconsin. Like most small towns, this one is full of a charming cast of characters, corrupt politicians, and the boys that make you want to swoon. All the while Hope keeps serving up some great grub and challenging the status quo.
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Quince works at a restaurant, though it is by no means your average restaurant. It is, in fact, a vampire-themed restaurant. But what happens if some of the staff aren’t playing at being a vampire? Written before vampires were cool and then overdone, this sexy paranormal is sure to tantalize. Pun totally intended.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
But when D. J. does start finally talking, there’s a lot of stuff that gets said in this quirky, funny, touching novel.
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Dream shattered Hudson is working in the diner when a rare second chance at her dreams comes about. But in order to follow your dreams, you have to be willing to take chances, something the previously burned Hudson isn’t very good at.
She’s So Money by Cherry Cheva
Maya has got to find a way to save her family’s restaurant. Which puts the scheming Camden on the menu. The two of them cook up a plan: they will do homework for a fee. Will their plan sizzle or burn?
See my previous list of Foodie Fiction titles dealing specifically with desserts: Sweet Reads
Please share your favorite foodie titles with us in the comments.
More Foodie Fiction:
Teen Read Fun Foodie Fiction
Eat This! Foodie Fiction for Teens
Read It and Eat!
Foodie Fiction
Foodie Fiction (has a couple of graphic novels on the list)
Filed under: Bittersweet, Collection Development, Dairy Queen, Foodie Fiction, Hope Was Here, Joan Bauer, Reader's Advisory, She's So Money, Tantalize

About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SLJ Blog Network
Notes on November 2023
31 Days, 31 Lists: 2023 Simple Picture Book Texts
Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust | Review
The Revised Newbery Manual: A look at recent updates to the guiding publication of the Newbery Committee
ADVERTISEMENT
I'd add The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler