Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides proves to be a humorous and congenial narrator as she shares the serendipitous events that transport her from behind-the-scenes kitchen support in her family’s Taverna Ristorante in Washington, D.C., to a contestant on the reality show Teen Test Kitchen. Urged to compete by Alex, “my friend who happens to be a boy,” Sophie finds winning the qualifying competition easier than persuading her protective father to let her pursue her dreams via reality TV. That hurdle conquered, Sophie arrives at Napa Valley’s National Culinary Academy, meets her fellow contestants (“a smorgasbord of diversity”), and begins intense training from top chefs under high-pressure conditions, which are exacerbated by omnipresent cameras, microphones, and “Kitchen Confidential” interviews. Williams (The Lost Summer) creates a cast of passionate, competitive, and sympathetic characters with big aspirations and mundane problems, seeking to sharpen their skills and learn who to trust in a manufactured environment that offers both opportunities and pitfalls. A sampling of recipes offers guidance for would-be chefs, while a romantic triangle subplot adds zest to an already tasty read. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)