THIS IS HOW I ROLL

A 12-year-old girl meets a cute boy while spending her summer learning to cook.

Rising eighth grader Sana Mikami dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a successful chef. But ever since she made a careless mistake in the kitchen, Sana’s dad hasn’t given her lessons. They also left San Francisco, and now he’s too busy being filmed as the subject of a documentary about his new upscale sushi restaurant. Sana plans on spending this summer with her cousin and best friend, Charli Hirai, proving she can be a chef. But when Charli gets into an intensive arts program, Sana makes new plans with new friend Koji Yamada. Koji’s mom teaches her Japanese home cooking, and Koji helps her show off her new skills in online video tutorials. But Charli thinks Koji is trouble, and Koji resents Sana’s dad, perceiving him as a rich, privileged outsider in their small California town. So Sana lies to everyone, even her parents, as she pursues her dreams. This fun, lighthearted middle-grade romantic comedy centering Japanese American characters focuses on food and cooking even as it digs into topics such as discrimination against women in the sushi world. Sana’s relationships with friends and family grow as they work through dishonesty, miscommunications, and unspoken feelings. Beyond cooking, readers are introduced in an entertaining way to other characters’ passions, like art and gardening.

A delightful middle school rom-com that will leave readers hungry.