A new exciting twist in time travel that made me hungry! I love a good time travel book and I was pleasantly surprised by how cool this one was, I mean using food memory to time travel sounds awesome! The author did a great job building the story and all the characters. I really liked how well done this one was. Highly recommend!!

3.5 stars

This was a cute food-centered story about Maya, a middle school student who discovers that some people in her family, namely her Halmunee (grandmother), can travel back in time using familiar foods as an anchor, and that she has the ability as well. It's always been her and her mom (her dad died when she was young), but things have become strained since her grandmother came to stay. Her grandmother is suffering from dementia symptoms, and because her mom is always working, it's up to Maya to watch her grandmother.

There were several elements that I related to, including what it was like having someone close to you suffering from dementia. While I am Taiwanese American, some of the cultural experiences mentioned here were familiar to me, and while the names of foods were not familiar, I still salivated over the descriptions and recipes that were included. I liked the illustrations and I also loved that food was the anchor for the time traveling. Maya knew nothing about her dad, and her mom didn't like talking about him and she was often too tired to cook Korean food, so I liked that Halmunee ended up spending time with Maya and teacher her about different foods and when they were eaten, and about some of the celebrations Koreans had.

I also loved the food! While some of the recipes include flour, which I cannot eat, I found many of the descriptions left me salivating, especially the soups! I would love to see a companion cookbook makes it way to publication, or maybe on the author's website.

However, there were things about the book that were confusing for me. The analogy of the movie theater sort of made sense to me, but I had trouble figuring out what I was seeing in the memories. Part of it was that Maya would say, "This must be so and so," but I would forget if she mentioned it was an uncle or aunt or grandmother or whatever, so it became a bit confusing. This was made both more clear and more confusing when the big reveal was made at the end. While the ending was really cool in how they resolved everything, we never did get a clear understanding of what the rules were in time traveling and what could or could not be changed.

While there was some resolution about Maya and her school project, I wish the author had spent a page or two sharing about the project and how it was received by the class. I appreciated that Maya had good friends (besides Jada) that she didn't realize until the end. I did appreciate the inclusion of Jada and her crush Emma, and that it wasn't a big deal, it was just normal.

Overall, this was an interesting concept and I liked the story, but I think there are other middle school books that handle time traveling in a clearer way. But ultimately, I think this story was more about family and the things that tie them together than it was about time travel. It's still worth reading and I would recommend it.

I received an advance review copy from the publisher and NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this one. A sweet, whimsical read about a young girl connecting with her halmunee through food and memory, all the more important as her halmunee seems to have become more confused and forgetful. One day, she discovers the family secret. Not only are they fantastic cooks, but they can travel through time!

Enjoyed this as a reckoning of cultural identity, the strength of family, and the nature of time. Some parts were a bit confusing, and there were a few loose ends that I would have preferred the author address to make for a more satisfying ending. It sort of felt like room was being left for a potential sequel, but too ambiguous for it to be satisfying as a stand-alone work. Still glad to have read this, and appreciated the inclusion of the recipes! My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.

A book perfect for any foodie looking for a story about time, loss, growing up, family and friendship.

This book transports the reader into a beautiful story where Maya's grandmother is an amazing cook and can bring memories to life through her dishes. One day she takes Maya with her and throughout the story Maya learns about many more secrets and questions surface.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The writing is easily understandable and perfect for the targeted age group but still manages to not become boring or too easy to read. I liked the worldbuilding and magic system this book presented as well as the overall plot of the story. The time travel was written in a very special, unusual and interesting way that i had never seen before and loved. Even though this book talks about multiple heavier topics — like loss of a parent and sibling, dementia and complicated family dynamics— it still somehow manages to have a comfortable, heartwarming tone that gives this story the comforting feeling of a warm blanket. The family struggles were perfectly and accurately portrayed in a way that felt very relatable and realistic. The school and friendship struggles as well.
I loved the casual lgbtq+ representation and really enjoyed reading about the korean culture and food. The recipes and illustrations were a lovely addition.
Although it felt a bit slow and irregular at times the pacing was mostly done well.

The multiple plot twists of this book were perfectly done in a way that never would have made me guess them, which is often not the case in middle grade novels.

The ending was just as heartwarming as the rest of this story and most definitely very satisfying.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of A Spoonful of Time in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightfully fun and twisty middle grade read. Not only does Maya have normal middle school dramas with friends and family, she also has to deal with cultural differences that come from being a first generation Korean-American. Her Korean born grandmother comes to live with Maya and her mother when she starts to show signs of dementia. The extra pressure on Maya’s mother leads to some tense relationships. But Maya adores her grandmother’s cooking and prompted by the food, Maya discovers her grandmother can time-travel, together they explore her grandmother’s memories. That’s where things start getting wonderfully confusing and family secrets are revealed. Highly recommended. Hope there’s a sequel of some sort. There must be more to explore! Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy.

Thank you NetGalley, Quirk Books, and Flora Ahn for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

Maya is a pretty typical 13 year old girl in most ways, except she can travel back in time! Her Halmunee (grandma) comes from Seoul to visit at just the right time - Maya is more distant from her mom than ever and Halmunee's guidance in the kitchen cooking Korean food is exactly what Maya needs right now. Except, cooking certain foods are tied to Halmunee's memories and time travel runs in the family. So Maya and Halmunee bounce to different memories of the past, where Maya can hopefully get some long-awaited answers about her family.

I wasn't really prepared for the time traveling -- it was an interesting element to what I thought was mostly going to be a realistic fiction book. It was challenging keeping up with parts of the time travel "rules" at some parts, though.

I loved the recipes and illustrations included in the chapters where Maya and Halmunee cooked together!

When Maya's grandma (Halmunee), who has symptoms of dementia, moves in with Maya and her mom, Maya begins to learn more about her family's past in a very unusual way: her family can time travel through food. When Halmunee cooks certain Korean dishes, she and Maya are transported back in time to visit special events that were significant to their family. As Maya's talent develops and she spends more time exploring her family's history, she learns some painful secrets.

I wanted to like this much more than I ended up liking it. The idea of food and memory being so interconnected was interesting, and I really enjoyed all of the food descriptions (and really appreciated Ahn including the recipes)! The story itself fell short, though. The time travel elements didn't really make sense (as opposed to the way it was depicted in another middle grade book I read recently), and it all felt a bit messy. That said, I had this at a solid three stars until the very ending because of the way Halmunee's dementia is ultimately addressed.

I think this was a clever idea, and I think kids will enjoy it, but I thought it needed a bit more fleshing out from a time travel standpoint. I loved Ahn's Pug Pals series and would gladly read another book by her in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I love when books include recipes because I think it can really make the story come alive, because you can taste and smell exactly what the characters are tasting and smelling...I can't wait to make the cookies! The complexity of the time travel was a bit confusing for me, but I did like that it wasn't just straight forward time travel. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming!

I was provided a ebook copy of this book by NetGalley and Quirk Books but this review is all my own.

I’m not sure I completely understand this book in every way but I love it! It went in a whole different and really interesting direction than I imagined. I loved the relationship Maya had with her Halmunee and the idea that she would share memories over food and how the sense memories tie us to those memories. It’s a beautiful idea. Maya was well written and I felt for her having to deal with the two versions of herself and with so much on her plate at such a young age. I also loved how the recipes were integrated right into the book with illustrations to encourage kids (and adults) reading to try the dishes. Without giving too much away, I really loved the concept of time travel introduced and the orchard idea. I will admit to getting a bit lost at times and wished there was a bit more time spent explaining the whole twist to the story. And what a twist it was! The ending was satisfying but also left me with questions and hopes for a second book to delve into more of the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and will be grabbing a copy for our home library because I feel like this is one I could read again.

Maya is growing up in California with her Korean mom as well as her grandmother who is beginning to show signs of dementia. When her grandmother cooks Korean food, Maya and her grandmother are transported back in time to Seoul. Maya realizes that this might be a way to finally find out more about her father. I'm not a fan of time travel and towards the end, the time travel got a bit confusing for me. But the descriptions of the Korean food brought back lots of good memories of my years in Korea and the core of the family story was good.

Maya lives with her mum and Halmunee. Her dad died and her mum is often working and seems to busy. Maya has a lovely relationship with her Halmunee, who appears to have dementia; she is often confused and muddles up the past and the present. She finds joy in teaching Maya to cook traditional Korean dishes and through these the two are able to time travel into Halmunee's memories.

Maya desperately wants to know more about her dad, and her family, and she hopes this will be a way to do this. In Halmunee's memories, Maya makes a friend and she is desperate to learn more about the magic. It becomes an obsession for Maya, and that's not always a good thing, but I loved how this was explored.

I loved the power that food had in this book to trigger strong memories in Halmunee and how the two bond over cooking together.

A gorgeous read about family, food and memories. It made me hungry!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Flora Ahn and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Maya thinks her grandmother (Halmunee) is magical. Halmunee is losing her memory, but she still knows how to make her favorite Korean meals. One day, Maya and Halmunee are eating her patbingsu when suddenly they are transported back in time. They don't just go back in time to any time, they go back in time to Halmunee's memories. As Maya and Halmunee eat their way through memories so Maya can learn what happened during her time in Korea and also what happened to her father. Will Maya learn about the past or will her family still keep their secrets?

A powerful and special middle grade read on family, secrets and the power of recipes and food to a family. I loved this book and already know a student I will recommend the title to.

Maya's life is thrown upside down when her grandmother unexpectedly shows up at their doorstep. Maya is expected to watch over her grandmother whose memory is slipping while her mother works long hours at a busy legal office. As Maya's grandmother begins cooking Korean dishes and sharing them with her granddaughter, Maya discovers that her family has a talent for traveling back in time through food.

I liked the premise of using food as a conduit to travel through time as so many memories--good and bad--can be tied to food. I also liked how the author interspersed Korean recipes throughout the book. However, I feel the pacing of the book could have been better as there were parts that felt too abrupt.

Maya's grandmother is an amazing cook who can bring the past (literally) to life with her dishes, but she is slowly losing her memory, increasing tension at home. It seems like ever since Halmunee came to live with them, Maya's mom has been spending more and more time at work, widening the gap between her and Maya. But Maya enjoys spending time with her grandma, especially when she reveals that her food can transport them into the past to relive memories. As Maya learns more about her family's special talent, she starts taking more risks and when her grandmother gets lost one night another shocking secret is revealed, changing everything all over again.

Man, there are some good twists in this one! It ticks a lot of my boxes, just based on the summary - time travel, food, multigenerational storyline - and I dig a good middle grade book, so I was already ready to like this one, but the characters and the story Ahn crafts made this a love. Though the time travel aspects can at times be a bit confusing, it mimics what Maya is experiencing in her journey to learn how it all works so you are learning alongside the character and understanding more about the complexity as she does. I also loved that while the story handles some very serious topics - loss of a parent, loss of a sibling, dementia and the impact it has on caregivers, single parenthood, etc. - the overall tone is still light and heartwarming. Though the main conflicts and mysteries are resolved by the end, there is a last-minute reveal that makes you both hope for more of Maya and her family while giving you enough to draw satisfying conclusions in the event that there is no sequel. If this is an indication of what Ahn has to give us, I can't wait for more!

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Spoonful of Time early in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and delightful middle grade novel with endearing characters and an interesting way to time travel. I really liked the connection to food and memories and was delighted to find easy recipes for many of the foods made and eaten in the book. I think kids will find this a very fun and charming book.

Maya is a typical kid with typical kid problems. She doesn’t have a dad, but lives with her mom and Halmunee. She also has a solid best friend who is always there to help her and support her when things get a bit tough. The family dynamics felt realistic, Maya and her mom have been going through a rough patch with her mom working all of the time and not really being there, but it is handled well and when they do speak they are as honest as they can be with each other. Maya has a good relationship with her Halmunee and I loved the cooking scenes with her.

Jada, Maya’s best friend, and Jeff (a boy she meets as she time travels) were well done characters and both of them are pretty well fleshed out. I really liked Jada and how supportive she was even when she got frustrated with Maya for not holding up her part of a school project. Jeff was such a cute dork, but he was able to explain the time travel to Maya in a way that made sense. He also taught her a few things that Maya’s grandmother either didn’t know or wouldn’t tell her.

I really liked the main time travel plot. Food is a great conduit for memories, both good and bad. This time travel is a bit different in that they don’t interact with anyone, but really just go and watch a memory. As stated in the book, it is sort of like watching a movie. The pacing was a tad slow at times, but there were some really good plot twists at the end. The only issue I had was that throughout most of the book Maya and her mother think that Halmunee has dementia. I loved how that was handled. But then it is revealed that this wasn’t really the cause of her memory issues and that sort of didn’t sit well with me. I’m not sure how a kid who has a loved one with dementia would react to how this was resolved. But with in the story her issues made sense with the big twist at the end.

I think this will be a popular book with kids who enjoy stories about other cultures and food. I loved the different time travel aspect of the book and the loving relationships between all of the characters.

This was a cute, charming fantasy, with a bunch of time travel weirdness. Ahn incoporated the recipes perfectly (and I can't wait to see what those illustrations look like!) There was information about Korean culture (especially with regard to food and related holidays) that was incorporated smoothly and naturally but will teach many kids a lot of new information about a different culture.

My only concern is about some of the time jumping. It might be hard and/or frustrating for some kids to follow. It even made my head hurt a few times to try to figure it out. That said, most kids will likely either understand or just accept it and move on.

A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn is my 38th book of 2023, 109th book of the school year, and 5th book of #MiddleGradeMarch. A huge thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me an opportunity to read a digital ARC of A Spoonful of Time. This middle grade book will be published in April 2023. All opinions are my own.

Maya’s grandmother, Halmunee, moves in with her and her mom because she’s losing her memory. Though her memories are slipping, Halmunee still loves to cook. One day she cooks sweet songpyeon and Maya finds that Halmunee has transported them back and into one of Halmunee’s memories. This is just one of the many secrets Maya learns. She hopes that her new found power will allow her to learn more about her father who died when she was young. The more Maya travels back, the more questions she has until she makes a shocking discovery.

This is a beautifully written middle grade book and is so much more than I expected. The book is about love, loss, friendship, family, and time. I loved that the recipes for each dish that transported Maya back are included in Maya’s words and with illustrations by her. The concept of time traveling by good memories is really cool. The analogy of the movie theater for how time travel works is a great comparison that will make it easy for middle grade kids to understand. The book is fun, but also deals with big topics like the stress of taking care of a loved one with dementia. I also really enjoyed how many surprises were in the book and that I wasn’t able to guess the plot twists.

#2023Reads #2024ReadingGoal #ASpoonfulOfTime #FloraAhn #MiddleGradeLit #MGLit #ReadingInTheMiddleGrades #TeacherReader #MGbooks

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Thank you NetGalley for granting me this e-ARC! I’m smitten by the cover!
Maya lives with her mom and Halmunee. But slowly, Halmunee starting to forget things. One day when Halmunee and Maya cooks, Maya find out that she can time travel!! Confused with what happens, she determined to find out how that happens! I love this book because, first, it has illustrations in it!!! And second, because it includes some korean food recipes!! But that’s not all lol.. i love the time travelling theme, and the plot twist.. i didn’t see that coming.. it’s heartwarming while there are some heart wrenching events too.. eventho i’m bit confused about the revelations and the ‘travel to the future’ part, But i have to say this books is enjoyable! I’d recommend this book for middle grade readers!!

This is such an enchanting book. Having a young lady learn about her culture and history through food and family, just such a beautiful concept. Food truly does bring us back to moments in time. We may not be able to transport there in the same way as Maya and her family does but knowing that something so simple as a meal can create such a beautiful bridge just reminds us how amazing life can be. The twists and turns in this book make it even more powerful. Finding out one’s history and past is so important. I love having recipes sprinkled throughout this story. It truly makes it book one where those who have no previous connection to the Korean culture, feel like maybe they can try and connect with Maya in a small way. Truly a beautiful book, great representation, and hopefully one that many kids will be able to discover and connect with.
Thank you so much to quirk books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

An engaging, original story for middle grade readers. Maya is a tween who lives with her single mother and her Korean grandmother. Her mom works a lot, and her grandmother, Halmunee, is old and in the beginning stages of dementia. Oftentimes Maya is the one taking care of her grandparent- not the other way around. There's more to Halmunee than meets the eye, though- through her Korean recipes and a magical touch, she's able to time travel with Maya to scenes of her heritage-which turn out to raise more questions than they answer.

A sweet reflection on family and heritage, this is an amazing book for middle grade readers. The Korean recipes scattered throughout are a tangible (and delicious!!) way to connect with the history and culture of Korea, as well as a delicate exploration of the symptoms of dementia that some readers have or will see with their own loved ones. I will definitely recommend this for purchase, and to my middle grade patrons!