The Green Teen Cookbook

Bibliography: Marchive, L., McElroy, P. (2014). The green teen cookbook. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books.

ISBN: 978-1-936976-58-4

Genre: cookbook

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Plot Summary: Teens want to be healthy. They want to be green. But knowing how combine the two can be overwhelming, to say the least. The Green Teen Cookbook presents a whole new level of information to today’s health-conscious teens.  With an informative and easy-going tone, the authors (who are teens themselves) explain the concepts of organic, fair trade, veganism, freeganism and a host of other specific diets. They include 70 recipes and encourage the use of fresh, seasonal vegetables. Keeping track of when fruits and veggies are in season is not second nature to many teens, so the authors included a list of when to find the best tasting produce for the least amount of money. Even better, they provide sources for farmer’s markets around the country and an extensive online index for further research.

Critical Evaluation: The full-color photos and natural graphics help make this book an entertaining way for teens to appreciate the taste, beauty and creation of organic, healthy foods. All 77 recipes are contributed by teenagers and are edited to provide just the necessary amount of detail to help support the learning of new techniques. They involve more adult flavors, thus helping teens to develop a taste for flavors that go beyond standard kid fare. To provide insight on the various techniques to eating and cooking green, Editors Marchive and McElroy asked a garden designer, a cooking instructor, a teenager, a fair trade expert and a circus performer to share their insights. The essays are informative and fun to read, yet still emphasize the countless benefits of organic, healthy eating.

Reader’s Annotation: Shock your friends with your amazing cooking skills! Just be aware that they’re likely to show up randomly at your house, begging to try your latest creation!

Author Information: Laurane Marchive studied journalism at the Institute of Political Sciences, Lille, and Modern French Literature at the Sorbonne, Paris. After working as a journalist in France, Indonesia, and India, she moved to London, where she is now working as an editor, translator, and rights agent. She also works as a freelance circus performer.¹

Pam McElroy, editor of The Green Teen Cookbook, edits books of all genres (although her favorite to work on are cookbooks!). She’s also been involved in the food industry since she was a teen, whether in a restaurant kitchen, as a caterer, or as an editor for dining magazines. Her hobbies include reading cookbooks cover-to-cover, shopping at farmers markets, and cooking epic and seasonal meals for friends and family. She lives in San Francisco, California.²

Curriculum ties: health and fitness

Booktalks: organic cooking; can grocery shopping be fun?

Challenge issues: none

References:

¹Marchive, L., & McElroy, P. (n.d.). The Green Teen Cookbook. Retrieved September 9, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Green-Teen-Cookbook-Laurane-Marchive/dp/1936976587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445199817&sr=8-1&keywords=Green+Teen+Cookbook

²Pam McElroy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2015, from http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7204795.Pam_McElroy