Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

By Sharon Creech

“A heartfelt novel celebrating friendship and family ties.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don’t always get along, that’s true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her interesting stories and family recipes. She understands from experience that life's twist and turns can't rattle the unique bond between two lifelong pals.

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech cooks up a delightfully tender novel filled with homemade dishes and secret recipes. It’s easier to remember what’s important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

Celebrate a special connection to a parent or grandparent by sharing this empathetic, funny book.

“A tasty treat.” –ALA Booklist (starred review)

“This is a meal that should not be missed.” –School Library Journal (starred review)

An ALA Notable Children’s Book and ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061972461

Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says. www.sharoncreech.com

Book preview

THAT BAILEY . . .

Bailey, that Bailey! He said to me, Rosie, get over yourself!

It was not a compliment.

I said, Bailey, you get over your own self.

Which shows you just how mad I was, to say such a dumb thing.

I’M MAD . . .

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today.

GRANNY TORRELLI SAYS . . .

My granny Torrelli says when you are angry with someone, so angry you are thinking hateful things, so angry maybe you want to punch them, then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they’ve said, and why you liked them in the first place.

Granny Torrelli is always so reasonable, so calm, so patient, except maybe for the time a man tried to get into her house, pretending he was the meter reader, and she smashed the door on his foot and picked up a broom and opened the door again and beat him on the head with it and told him she had a gun (which she did not really have) and would use it if she had to.

Then she told him he was a pitiful excuse for a human being, going around like that trying to take advantage of old ladies (even though she normally does not like anyone else to call her an old lady).

WHY I LIKED BAILEY . . .

Why I liked Bailey in the first place: Bailey was always there, born next door to me, one week after me, the two of us just two babies growing up side by side, our mothers together, and me and Bailey together, on the lawn, on the porch, on the floor, playing with pots and pans and mud and worms and snow and rain and puddles.

Help Bailey was what our mothers said to me. Help him, will you, Rosie? And I did. I always helped Bailey. He was my buddy, my pal, my friend. Went to the zoo, went to the park, had birthdays together.

What a smile that Bailey had! He was smiling mostly all the time, his hands waving out in front of him, sweeping the air. Freckles on his face, sticking-up hair very soft, very quiet Bailey boy, but not too quiet, and not pushy, not selfish, not mean, not usually.

I pretended he was my brother, only he was better than a brother because I chose him and he chose me.

So why does he go and be so spiteful? Why does he say Rosie, get over yourself! and why does he say that in that cold voice and slam the door in my face as if I am nobody?

GRANNY TORRELLI MAKES SOUP . . .

Granny Torrelli comes over, says she’s in charge of me tonight. She wants soup. Zuppa! she calls it. She says it like this: ZOO-puh!

She starts rooting in the refrigerator, selecting celery (That’s your green, she says), carrots (That’s your orange, she says), onions and mushrooms (That’s our white, I say).

She reaches in the freezer, snatches some chicken, flips it into the microwave, zaps it to defrost. Seizes the big red pot, fills it with water, tosses in salt and pepper and a dash of soy sauce.

Hands me a knife. We chop, chop, chop, fling it all in the pot, such a good smell bubbling in the kitchen.

And then she says it: Okay, Rosie, what’s going on with you?

I say, Nothing’s going on with me.

She says, You maybe can fool other people with that smart head of yours, but you can’t fool Granny Torrelli.

I love Granny Torrelli, always making good things, always so calm, so patient, always telling me about my smart head.

YOU GOING TO TELL ME?

Granny Torrelli roots in the cupboard, snares the little pasta dots, adds more pepper and salt to the bubbling good things, tosses in the pasta, and says, You going to tell me what happened? You going to tell me what’s making your eyes so inside-looking?

She reaches out and taps underneath each of my eyes. It tickles.

Oh, it’s nothing, I say. It’s just that Bailey.

That Bailey? she says. That Bailey? Your buddy, your pal—is there any other Bailey?

I push my shoulders up, let them fall again.

Rosie, why are you so sad, inside-looking about Bailey? He is sick?

No, he is not sick, I say. Except in the head, maybe.

Granny Torrelli smacks her lips. Rosie, that’s no way to talk about your buddy, your pal Bailey.

She frowns, a big clown frown, and pretends to sob. Boo hoo hoo, she says. That Bailey has made me molto, molto sad. Boo hoo hoo.

She makes me laugh, that Granny Torrelli.

PARDO . . .

Granny Torrelli hands me the wooden spoon. I stir the soup. It’s smelling so good: all the green and orange and white swirling in the chickeny broth.

I am thinking maybe I will tell her about that Bailey, when Granny says, I ever tell

Reviews for Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

[robinsonstef · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech is a hilarious book that will make you want Granny Torrelli to be a part of your family. Not only does she know how to make some delicious meals, but her funny antics will crack you up. Granny Torrelli also serves up a side dish of wisdom to try to help Rosie see why jealousy is not the answer. It is a super book for people of all ages and I think kids in fourth through eighth grade will especially relate to Rosie. The book touches on blindness, friendship, and how we see what is inside of ourselves. I could easily relate to the characters because each one has such a strong personality. I really like Rosie and think she has many qualities that make me want to be friends with her. Granny Torrelli makes you realize that jealousy gets you nowhere. The style is unique and I loved the short chapters! If you have not read this story, I highly recommend it. It just may make you want to cook soup, or any meal, with a family member and you will try to appreciate what you have.

[ifinityever · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book ????

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I do love Creech's juveniles. I have not read her famous YA books yet but I certainly look forward to them!

[meadert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Granny Torrelli makes soup is a cute story about a girl who's having trouble with her best friend and tells her granny about everything over a nice bowl of soup.

[jeneennammar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

6th to 8th grade. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is a heartwarming tale of a teenager who works though her problems while cooking with her grandmother. Twelve year old Rosie is having trouble surmounting an argument that she's had with her best friend, the boy next door. But Rosie's Italian grandmother knows just what stories to share. Newbery award winner Sharon Creech writes as sensitively as ever about her character's hearts. She plays with an unusual prose style in that is arguably almost verse. For example she puts what the characters say in italics instead of quotes. Here is an example of a complete paragraph for the novel and how each one is so short. "Granny Torrelli comes over, says she's in charge of me tonight. She wants soup. Zuppa! she calls it. She says it like this: ZOO-puh!" There is a distilled quality to the text. Teenage readers will enjoy seeing an author break rules and tailor a text for a story. Thus as well as being a touching tale about family and friendship, it is highly suitable as a mentor text in a school setting. This book is highly recommended to public, and middle school libraries.

[sjiwenxuan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A girl called Rosie and a her pal, a boy called Bailey were the best friends. But once they had a problem of their friendship, And Granny Torrelli came and told Rosie about all the things that happened to Granny and her pal, a boy called Pardo. Then Rosie started to think about herself and Bailey.

[danifuz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

 In this book there is a Grandma hows name is Granny Torrelli and she makes soup with hummer and a lot of sad, funny and exiting stories. But meanwhile she has a really sad life because Pardo how she loved got killed by getting under the train.

[psoule_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! It was poetic and I loved the relational stories within stories. Great read-aloud!

[jhunefeld_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story of boy-girl friendship and jealousy. Bailey and Rosie have been life-long friends. When a new girl moves into the neighborhood and shows an interest in Bailey, Rosie gets jealous. A parallel story is told by Granny Torrelli of similar issues in her past -- all while making a delicious homemade pasta meal with B and R. Good for students on the brink of boy-girl drama, fifth grade and up. Comes together well in the the end.

[mathqueen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup tells a heart-warming story of a boy and girl growing up together and realizing that life is bigger than the street they live on. While Bailey is blind, he is very independent and capable. While Rosie knows this, her “stubborn Rosie self wants to help and protect Bailey every chance she gets. When Janine moves into the neighborhood, Rosie experiences feelings she has never had before. All the while, Granny Torrelli offers words of wisdom through stories as she makes dinners intended to bring people together. While the main focus of the story is not the disability afflicting Bailey, it gives a great example of comfortable interactions between people with a disability and those without. These encounters are so natural and easy, the reader can almost forget Bailey’s affliction and focus on his relationship with Rosie. It is a refreshing take on the topic of interaction between people with/without disabilities. The characters seem so real and believable; it is a great read for children and adults alike! Library Implications: This would be a great read for a student struggling with a friendship with someone who is disabled in some way. It also is a great example of giving people their independence and not smothering them with help. Finally, readers could simply enjoy this book for the story it tells; everyone should have a Granny Torrelli!!!

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rosie discovers that her relationship with Bailey, a blind boy next door, is very similar to one that her Granny Torrelli had with a boy in Italy before immigrating to the United States. Most of the lessons Rosie learns take place in the kitchen as food is being prepared. This book should be used to bring families closer together. I found the writing style to be a bit "choppy" for my personal tastes, but it makes it easy for younger readers or for reading aloud when time is limited.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is a sweet story about friendship and family. Although children would certainly enjoy reading this book on their own, it is a story that begs to be read aloud. Read this with your favorite children. It just might lead you to tell your own family stories while you teach them to make your favorite recipes!

[nclibrarian724 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With the help of her wise old grandmother, 12 year Rosie works out some problems with her best friend Bailey, the boy next door.

[bibliophile26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of an Italian grandmother passing on her wisdom to her granddaughter. Not one of Creech’s better novels.

[meyben_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like how it was written in the langage of the character. Felt like I was there. Kids would get a great understanding on how to solve problems.

[cmbohn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Granny helps a couple of friends patch things up. A quick read, but fun.

[annod_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everyone wants a grandma like this. After reading it you are speaking with an Italian accent!