Eleven year-old Tristan is a New York City kid who's pretty happy with life as it is until his parents announe that they're moving upstate. Petersville, New York, to be exact. It ain't Westchester, this is up in the mountains. There's one road, no restaurants, and a general store that used to sell legendary doughnuts, as Tristan discovers one morning, as he rides around town trying to find something to do. But Millie, the general store proprieter, stopped making the donuts, and if Tristan - a baking enthusiast who's sold on the legend of these doughnuts - wants the secret recipe, he has to provide Millie with proof that he's going to use it wisely. He needs a business plan. Luckily for him, Petersville does have a public library (whoo hoo!), and with the help of his new friend, Josh, Tristan starts pulling it all together to bring the chocolate cream doughnuts back to Petersville.

The Doughnut Fix surprised me with its depth and its readability. It's very readable, very engaging, and provides smart tips on starting one's own business for kids - throughout the story, Tristan refers to his library copy of Starting Your Own Business for Dummies, and drills things down into kid-digestible bits. It's empowering! Teachers can challenge kids to read this book and create their own summer job business plans, or librarians (and caregivers) can produce a similar challenge as a summer reading program. There are recipes and a recap of important information for starting a business at the end of the book. The story emphasizes themes of friendship, collaboration, planning, and budgeting, offering solid life lessons for middle graders.

Both books are great reading group selections that lend so much to deeper exploration, from Mexican culture and its celebration of ancestry, to life in a small town versus life in a city. Food is the easy in to discussing these books, but there are great ideas waiting to be touched on in each. These are great adds to your shelves or your gift list.

The Donut Fix is a laugh-out-loud funny look at the accidental creation of a donut shop. It's not only filled with interesting characters, but the tips on how to start a business are priceless. This will appeal to readers of all ages.

This was adorable. I'll admit, I was kind of skeptical at first, but got hooked right away.

Tristan (Jax, lol) is a believable main character that many young readers will identify with. He feels ignored, left behind, and struggles with being jealous of his siblings, but ultimately just wants to succeed. I really enjoyed this, but wish that the recipes had been included on in the egalley I received. ;)

Tristan and his family live in New York and he LOVES it. The food, the people, the environment, everything. He's shattered when his parents announce that they bought a house in the country and are leaving the city. His mother, a chef, plans to open a restaurant, and his father, an accountant who no longer works in a bank, think that this opportunity will be AMAZING for Tristan and his sisters. The siblings? not so sure. Things get even worse for Tristan when he finds out that Petersville doesn't even have a bakery. He spies a sign in the general store window advertising "world famous doughnuts" and things just get worse when he finds out that the doughnuts are no longer being made.
When his parents find out they can't start school right away they decide that each kid needs a project to keep them busy. This is easy for Tristan's sister, a member of the Gifted & Talented crew, but not so easy for Tristan. Tristan decides to go with what he knows, and what he knows is baking- so he goes on a quest to bring back the doughnuts, learning about himself, friendship, entrepreneurship, and family.