I didn’t partake in any quarantine bread baking (I guess there’s still time...sigh), but I was delighted to live vicariously through sweet Alba as she rose (bread pun) to the challenge in a bakery in Barcelona. ALL YOU KNEAD IS LOVE (3/31/21) by Tanya Guerrero is a touching story about dealing with trauma and learning to trust and open your heart again. Alba, a half-Filipino, half-Spanish, gender non-conforming twelve-year old, is sent to live with her estranged grandmother in Spain for the summer to escape the abuse in her NYC home by her father. Abuela Lola is welcoming and accepting, yet Alba finds the most comfort in baking and music. As in her debut, HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE SEA, Guerrero utilizes setting as a character in and of itself to say the yeast (bread pun). The vivid descriptions are transportive and I was immersed in the charm of the city as Alba explored not only her surroundings, but conflicting emotions, new experiences, and developing relationships with seemingly perfect strangers. I loafed (bread pun) her honesty and thoughtfulness, finding them both to be refreshing and relatable. An endearing coming of age story, ALL YOU KNEAD IS LOVE will warm your heart and your belly.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
3.5 stars
I'm torn about this book. I loved Alba and really felt for her, but something just seemed off about how the kids are portrayed. As a middle school teacher, I spread a lot of time with 12-year-olds and the kids just didn't seem like authentic gen z kids to me. I honestly wasn't sure when this book was set until a reference is made to the movie Elf and Alba starts a Pinterest board. Take out those two references and this book could have taken place in the 90s. It was refreshing to read about kids not obsessed with cell phones and Tik Tok, but when your target audience is, I'm not sure you have much buy-in.

Pros:
Alba and her short hair
Baking bread!!
Toni is the best
David Bowie!
Doesn't talk down to kids about heavy issues

Cons:
I think it's a little slow-paced for the target audience
The glossary is not separated by the languages so you have Spanish and Tagalog mixed together

Everything about this story was perfect! Readers will empathize with Alba's feelings of abandonment and uncertainty, and they will cheer her on as she gains confidence in herself and her ability to bake. The descriptions of Spain are spot-on. This book made me want to hop a plane to Barcelona and take a bread baking class.

So good! There is so much to love about this book! Spain, baking, fabulous characters, unique stories! I loved this story in particular and I loved the author’s style so much I immediately added another book by her to my TBR list.

You are in for a treat with this book! Filled with delicious baking, beautiful imagery of Barcelona, David Bowie references and tons of heart, this book is sure to leave you wanting feeling blessed and wanting a follow up novel.

Don’t miss the Spanish/Catalan/Tagalog glossary in the back if you need to brush up on the languages!

Thank you NetGalley, publishers and author for this e-galley!

All you Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero is a welcome addition to children's literature. Her characters are well drawn and the mix of ethnic groups and languages makes for an intriguing read. The location of Barcelona is an added bonus. The social problems with Alma's parents are well done as is the friendships Alma makes in Spain. I will certainly recommend this book.

I loved this book! It had such great family dynamics and really showed how close friends can be considered family. Alba is struggling with her mom and her family and at first when she arrives with Aubela Lola she is afraid to let her guard down, afraid it isn't real. But as she gets to know her and starts to find her place there and at the bakery with Toni, and make some new friends, things start coming together.
There is mention of abuse, and alcoholism, but I think how it was handled was done really well.
I loved that Alba found herself in bread making and helped Toni with saving the bakery.
A really great middle grade read!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

All You Knead is Love is an emotional coming-of-age story which pulled me in from the beginning. Alba is devastated that her mother is sending her to Spain to live with her grandmother - she is sure her mother doesn't want her any longer. But she soon finds that her grandmother is a warm, loving person, and begins to learn how to bake bread from a local baker/friend of the family. Alba realizes that perhaps this is a better place for her to be than with her cold mother and her father, who beats her mother and treats Alba with indifference and even loathing. But this is all too good to be true for someone used to being ignored and looked down upon, someone used to running away from her problems - she's sure of that as soon as there are complications in her new, happy life.

Alba is a wonderfully well-rounded character, as are the people surrounding her. Alba grows a lot over the course of this book, and she causes positive changes in those around her, too. Kids will be able to relate to the feeling of wanting something desperately and not knowing what to do when it doesn't happen - or when it does. A truly sweet story which deserves many readers.

This book is incredibly special. Alba is dealing with a lot of bad feelings. Her parents seemed to have abandoned her, shipped her off to her long-lost grandmother in Spain, and she's pretty sure no one loves her. Even her grandmother who seems so sweet, it has to be an act right? She finds solace in a small bakery and learning to bake there.

This book has talks about identity, about abusive parents, about learning what love really means, and so many more things that are so important for young readers to see. And honestly. readers of any age. It's so so beautiful.