Pizza, Lova, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams

High School Fiction VG/A Williams, Kathryn. Pizza, love, and other stuff that made me famous New York: Henry Holt, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-8050-9285-1 231p. $16.99. Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides vaguely has any memory of her mother. Raised solely by her father in their Italian-Greek Taverna Ristorante, she always wants to become a chef. One day her best friend Alex, signed her up for an audition to appear on reality, Teen Test Kitchen. She was reluctant first but she knows that if she wins, she will be able to spend the summer in Napa, California and the prize will include a full scholarship to culinary school. With her Rosemary Lamb Chops with Spanish and White Bean Ragout recipe, she won the local competition and will be able to go Napa. In California, she met several other contestants and she begins her friendship and rivalry with the others. In addition, she was able to spend some quality time with her aunt Maria, sister of her mother. She discovered many wonderful memory of her mother through her aunt and uncovered how her father and mother met. At the same time, she also discover what is reality TV, which isn’t really what she expected, it is more of a show. In the end, she returned to Fairfax, Virginia without winning, but she is happy to be home again with her family and best friend Alex. Reviewed by Dora Ho, Young Adult Librarian - LAPL