The Teashop Girls

I liked this book very much. It was a sweet story, very easy to read and enjoyable. I loved reading about Annie, her grandmother and Annie's two friends, Zoe and Genna. A very sweet story about the Steeping Leaf (Annie's grandmother's tea shop) and Annie's first job as a barista there, and how Annie and her friends help her grandmother out! One of the very special parts of this story are the little extras that come with it! I just loved all the recipes! There is a delicious sounding recipe for Mom's Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh, gosh! That sounds so good. I need to pick up some molasses and crystallized ginger and then I will make this for sure. Oooooo, and Louisa's Very Best Spiced Blueberry Scones sounds wonderful, too. The recipe calls for whole wheat flour which I'm very eager to bake with. Each chapter starts off with a quote regarding tea. Here's one of my favorites: "Remember the tea kettle - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings." - Author Unknown The book also has several very interesting older ads about tea. All of this made the book very fun to read and really added to the story!

I am a father and I teach tea studies and that is the correct usage of teashop=tea and food, and tea shop=sells tea (sometimes with tea ceremony or tea tastings)no sitting around eating, chatting that is a teashop, both teashop and tea shop sells leaves. I am very attracted to this book because of the tea implications and they really did their homework great book and great American tea book.

I got this book for my niece who loves to read but wanted to read it first to ensure it would be suitable for a girl her age (12 ½). We meet Annie and her two friends Genna and Zoe. They are all tea lovers and have been since they were in grade school. But as of late, Zoe and Genna have disconnected a little bit. Annie's decides to ask her grandmother if she can now work at her teashop. While Annie is at the shop, is heartbroken to learn that the teashop is not doing well and her grandmother has not been able to pay the bills. So Annie and her two friends plot out an idea to save their beloved teashop. The story is quaint and cute and the word that comes to my mind is "innocent". There is a little romance intertwined, but it is kept cute and romantic and the main story remains the teashop and the love these girls have for their beloved shop!!! Peppered throughout the book are old black and white ads featuring teas and or teapots and there are some nice little suggestions as to how to drink your tea. I loved the old ads - just added to the whole "warmth" feeling I had throughout this wonderfully touching book. I believe this book is suited to becoming the first in a series - and if my niece enjoys this book as much as I think she will, I will look forward to reading future books in the series with her.

Annie, Genna, and Zoe have been hanging out at the Steeping Leaf since elementary school. The Teashop Girls do everything together -- at least they used to. With the end of eighth grade approaching, Genna's too busy with theater, Zoe's always at tennis, and Annie feels totally left out. What happened to tea every week, no matter what? When Annie convinces her grandmother to give her a job as a barista at the Leaf, things begin to look up. In between whipping up chai lattes for customers, and attempting to catch the attention of her Barista Boy crush, Annie is finally beginning to feel as grown-up as her best friends. But an eviction notice spells trouble for the Leaf and unless they can turn the business around, the teashop will have to close its doors forever.

I adored this book! It definitely soared above my expectations! It was sweet and warm and just all things good! The book centers around Annie and her beloved Steeping Leaf that her grandmother owns. She loves the Steeping Leaf so much she wants to get her very first job there, and it doesn't hurt that a cute older boy named Jonathan also works there! Her initial meeting with Jonathan is too funny! Everything is going well until one day the power goes out and Annie finds out that her grandmother has been having problems paying all her bills. Annie and her friends become determined to save the Steeping Leaf! One of my favorite things about this book is all the old tea leaf ads and recipes. When Annie was younger she and her friends started a scrapbook of all things tea and these are clippings from it! The book is also full of beautiful watercolor illustrations. These just add to the experience of an already great book! I had assumed it would be alternating perspectives based on what I read in the synopsis but that wasn't the case and it did not matter at all. Through Annie's voice we definitely also get a sense of her family and friends, Geena and Zoe. The cast of secondary characters were great. I especially loved the "very annoying" Zach! I really hope this is just the beginning of the Teashop Girls adventures and that there are more books to come! Fingers crossed! This book has definitely peaked my interest in tea and I definitely hope to try a variety of teas in the near future!