All You Knead is Love

All You Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero (Juvenile Fiction)

Alba is a lot like the sourdough bread she falls in love with after her mother sends her to Barcelona to live with her grandma, Abuela Lola, who she barely knows. Alba pretends she’s tough, so a lot of people only see a crusty 12 year-old, but on the inside she is a total softie. She’s dealing with a lot so she cries and runs away when she becomes overwhelmed. The first place Alba runs to is El Rincón del Pan, a bread shop owned by a kind family friend, Toni. Toni immediately starts teaching Alba how to bake bread, and this is where she starts to heal from the trauma of living in an abusive home. Just as Alba is embracing her new life, however, her past catches up with her. 

I appreciated how easily Alba cried and others embraced, accepted, and helped her instead of shutting her down or ignoring her. The characters in this story are truly wonderful, almost over-the-top wonderful. I’m pretty sure every person Alba meets in Barcelona loves her and wants to help her. They’re all eccentric, interesting, and kind. Though I rolled my eyes a few times at the lack of adversity, I think the traumatic home life Alba physically escaped from more than balances all the happiness Alba finds in herself and others in her new life. 

I read the eBook so maybe it’s more obvious with a physical copy, but I didn’t realize there was a Spanish/Catalan/Tagalong Glossary in the back. You will still be able to understand the story, but the glossary is great! It includes the page numbers and language of each phrase/line. I highly recommend checking the glossary as you read. 

I will leave you with two of my favorite quotes: 

“Abuela Lola’s place was filled with memories and stories, layers and layers of them compiled over the years.” 

And this lovely quote about family: “Being together was all that mattered. The rhythm of our breathing, the heat of our bodies, the scent of our shampoos swirling together.”