If You Can't Take the Heat

Starred review from March 11, 2024
A talented jock discovers a passion for cooking after a grievous injury sidelines him for the summer in this savory 1980s read set in Cleveland. Sixteen-year-old Theo Claverback lives for football, but a broken leg courtesy of a benign bone cyst leaves him on crutches for a lengthy recovery period. Banned from sports indefinitely, Theo embraces his newfound talent for cooking and, with help from new friend Julia, begins working as a prep cook at Margaux, a prestigious French restaurant. Despite his lack of formal training, Theo thrives in the demanding environment. A tumultuous fling with Julia, who works as a server, is the final ingredient in Theo’s transformative summer, but events beyond his control may soon end his time in the kitchen. Combining a “faithful rendering of the time when, and the place where, I grew up” and an “actual story told to me by Matthew Accarrino, executive chef of SPQR in San Francisco,” food writer Ruhlman employs exacting verisimilitude to bring the heat of the kitchen and sensory details of the dishes to life in this vivacious debut. Major characters are white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary.

April 15, 2024
Sixteen-year-old Theo finds an unexpected job (and a girl to love) at an upscale French restaurant in this novel by James Beard Award-winning food writer Ruhlman. Theo imagined that the summer of 1980 would be filled with practices in the lead-up to a successful football season playing for his private school in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on the outskirts of Cleveland. After an accident during a game leaves his leg badly broken thanks to a previously undetected benign bone cyst, Theo finds himself out of the sport indefinitely. But he's distracted from his blues after being hired as a prep cook at Restaurant Margaux. Chef Jackson is tough yet fair. Thanks to his mentoring, Theo comes to love the atmosphere, the cooking, and the profession--as well as server Julia. Ruhlman's writing is at its best when Theo is in the kitchen. The hustle and passion that flow during service drop readers squarely in the middle of the action. Theo himself is a likable, honest character who's both earnest and imperfect. Julia, on the other hand, has a surprising character arc that's puzzling and handled abruptly. Though the two date, their romantic moments aren't particularly swoonworthy. One storyline ultimately takes a turn that feels superfluous and is less interesting than the fast-paced action in the kitchen. Most cast members read white. The well-realized foodie elements are the highlight of this uneven story. (Fiction. 14-18)

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May 15, 2024
Grades 9-12 After shattering his leg, Theo spends his recovery watching daytime TV, especially PBS cooking shows starring culinary luminaries like Julia Child and Graham Kerr. His interest in cooking becomes an obsession, so when an opportunity to work at a high-end restaurant presents itself, he jumps at it. Gone are football practices, replaced by long hours in a professional kitchen alongside a staff that becomes like a second family. But these new bonds will be put to the test when Theo stumbles upon the seedier side of the restaurant business. Ruhlman depicts teen life in 1980, a time devoid of cell phones and social media, creating a refreshing alternative to contemporary stories overloaded with technology. In keeping with the time period, however, teens are depicted smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol much more liberally. Ruhlman chooses to keep this on the periphery, focusing on Theo's development both professionally and in his love life. This human story is the book's real strength. Also striking is the care given to detailing the operations inside a restaurant kitchen, lending power and authenticity.

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June 1, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Sixteen-year-old Theo has the entire summer mapped out-hang out with friends, listen to some music, get ready for the upcoming football season where he is a star player, and try to get over the recent breakup with his girlfriend. After Theo attends a concert with his friends and meets the enchantingly beautiful Julia, he suffers a freak accident while playing in a pickup football game with his friends. After surgeries to repair his shattered femur and a stint in the hospital, Theo begins to process the reality of his entire athletic career coming to an end. While he is recovering, Theo starts finding comfort in both his newfound love of cooking and Julia, who begins to visit him regularly despite having a boyfriend. After Julia convinces the chef of the upscale restaurant where she works to give Theo a shot as a prep cook, his life is forever changed. Theo begins to truly thrive in the restaurant setting as he embraces the team mentality it takes to create dinner each night. Set in 1980s Cleveland, this novel features a budding romance between Theo and Julia, as well as an accurate representation of a working restaurant in lots of vivid detail. VERDICT A refreshingly different take on the romance genre, written from the male perspective, and a great purchase for all libraries.-Samuel Lovejoy

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