Review: The Truth About Twinkie Pie

The Truth About Twinkie Pie
By Kat Yeh
Published 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Galileo Galilei Barnes is ready for a new start. So, when she and her big sister move to a new town, GiGi comes up with a new Recipe for Success - starting with picking a new name. Life is more complicated than following a recipe, though, and it isn't long before GiGi's world is turned upside down and she has to uncover the truth.

Another ARC that showed up at my library, I put this in a pile to-read because of the cover - yes, really. I mean, who could resist it? I breezed through this book over just a few days and I quite enjoyed it.

To begin with, I thought GiGi was a very authentic voice - I believed her and I wanted everything to work out just the way she wanted. That doesn't mean she's perfect - there were a few times when I couldn't help but shake my head at her stubbornness or her lack of forethought. But these instances only served to make her more realistic. Similarly, I thought the other characters rang true as well. I did wonder how likely it would be that the boy she physically ran into on the first day of school would be nice and befriend her, but considering Trip's character, it felt true enough for him.

This book is set up well. The chapters are short but not too short, so the pages flew by. Interspersed throughout are the recipes that GiGi and DiDi make - and they actually sound pretty good! There is a great mix of humor and heart in this story. I laughed out loud several times and teared up once. This book is what I might call Southern-flavored; it's got enough of a Southern touch that you know it's there but it's not overwhelming.

I was actually surprised by the mystery, which is good. I didn't see the reveal coming. I was not terribly thrilled with GiGi's reaction; however, it was probably a pretty accurate one. I can only imagine. The ending is, of course, a happy one but it's not too saccharine as to be irritating. At times, it did feel that there was a bit too much crammed into the one book and it felt like the book wasn't sure which story was actually the focus. But overall, I can see this being popular with fans of Wendy Mass or Lisa Papademetriou.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.