Very fun concept, but the whole school project story line, which at first felt like it could be very relevant, but the proved otherwise, actually hindered the pacing. ( )

This was pretty great -- I liked the intersection of food, memory, family and a little light time travel. I liked the twist. I don't really understand the importance of Jeff and Maya's friendship, but perhaps its enough that they are friends. I loved that her friendship with Jada was never even threatened by either adding new friends to their circle, Jada starting to date her crush, or Maya needing to hold her secrets back until she was ready to tell them. Also loved that Jada starts dating a girl and there is zero drama or notice about that. ( )

This was a great middle grade fiction novel. I love that the time travel centres around food and the memories that the food invokes. I totally thought that a different person was going to end up being Maya's dad but I liked the twists in this book. I am definitely going to have to try some of the recipes in this book, they sounded fantastic. ( )

A Spoonful of Time by Flora Ahn

A fresh blend of Korean culture, cooking and community, A Spoonful of Time is a delightful middle grade family drama with a time travel twist. Maya is struggling to connect with her mother, and feels happiest when learning to cook with her grandmother. When she learns that her family has a gift where they can travel into past memories through food, Maya is desperate to discover the story of her father, who died when she was very young. Along the way, Maya learns family values, the true meaning of friendship, and the power of the past.

The premise of this novel is very fun, and the story is interspersed with recipes which really bring the Korean food and flavours to life. However, there is a lack of clarity when it comes to some major twists in the story, which leave too many questions unanswered. I also didn’t love how the author handled some elements of mental illness, because it cheapened the impact for those who may relate to these struggles. While imperfect, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and would love to see this become a series. ( )

Received an ARC of this delightful time-traveling story. The connection between Korean cooking and family is strong, and it was an added bonus to find recipes included.

Maya learns from her grandmother/halmunee that certain meals can bring her back to the past to revisit cherished memories. She and Halmunee are only there as observers. No one can see them or hear them or touch them. But then how is Jeff, a time-traveler her own age, able to talk with her on one of those trips?

I guess anything about time travel can be hard to wrap your head around, but the secrets revealed near the end were a bit puzzling for me and the final announcement was jarring, so that's why I'm going with four stars instead of five. I also felt the story to be a bit didactic here and there.

Still, it's a definite purchase for my 4th and 5th grade library patrons and I would welcome a sequel. ( )