The Takeout
by Tracy Badua (Author)
When a celebrity chef's new restaurant threatens Mila's family's food truck, she plans to expose them for the recipe thieves they are--even if that means dabbling in the Filipino folk magic she's tried to avoid. Fans of Tae Keller and Lily LaMotte will cheer for this charming story about food, family, and finding the place you belong.
Mila may have moved to Coral Beach months ago, but it still doesn't feel like home. She wants to belong, but a few awkward incidents with her new friends make her wonder if she'll ever neatly fit into the super-samey small town. Mila feels the only place she can be herself is at her dad's Filipino-Indian food truck, The Banana Leaf. But when celebrity chef twins the Fab Foodie Brothers open a restaurant nearby, it turns out the food they are serving is exactly the same as The Banana Leaf's--right down to the recipes!
Suspicious of the similarities, Mila teams up with family friend Ajay to investigate. She soon realizes that she needs to take the beloved Fab Foodie Brothers down before they run her family's tiny truck out of town. But that means dabbling in the Filipino folk healing and magical traditions that she has shied away from her whole life . . . as well as alienating her new friends.
Does Mila have to choose between her family and fitting in? Or, like the best recipes, will a blend of the traditional and the unexpected mix into something truly special?
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Publishers Weekly
A Filipina tween determines to save her family's business by using secret Filipino folk magic in this energetic novel by Badua (This Is Not a Personal Statement). Twelve-year-old Mila Pascual, newly moved to Coral Beach, Calif., works at the Banana Leaf, her family's Filipino Indian food truck, which is run by her father and his business partner, Mr. Ram. Food isn't the only thing they serve, though; sometimes Mila covertly adds special magical tinctures to the recipes to help people, as when she whips up an elixir to assist a heartbroken girl in getting over a breakup. When white-cued twin television chefs Chip and Chaz Darlington, the Fab Foodie Brothers, open restaurant Marigold and Myth across the street from the food truck, Mila is at first excited to meet some celebrities. But once she realizes that their entrées are suspiciously like the Banana Leaf's, she investigates with the help of Ajay, Mr. Ram's nephew. Both Mila and Ajay are enterprising protagonists whose teamwork and dedication to their families add heart to this briskly paced magical adventure. Through Mila's cheeky first-person narration, Badua tackles themes of family, identity, and perseverance. Ages 8-12. (May)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV039000 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | General
JUV022000 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, & Fables | General
Family-owned business enterprises
Filipino Americans
Food trucks
