Granny Torrelli Makes Soup    by Sharon Creech Order:  USA  Can Joanna Cotler, 2003 (2003) Hardcover, Audio      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson What does a grandmother have to give to a grandchild? In Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Sharon Creech shows us one who gives cooking lessons along with life lessons. With her usual strong empathy, she shows us friendship and love from the inside out, in a story that speaks of the wisdom of shared experience - best suited for the middle school crowd, but of interest to all ages. Rosie is unhappy with her best friend, 'that Bailey', who told her 'Rosie, get over yourself!' But Granny Torrelli is smart. Instead of asking questions, she starts to tell Rosie about her own childhood friend, Pardo, and his dog Nero. She elicits Rosie's confidences via shared experience, as they make zuppa together. Rosie and Bailey have had a special friendship since they were both very small, a friendship that has survived differences like Bailey's blindness and Rosie's stubbornness. But Rosie's plan to surprise him backfired, upsetting them both. After talking to Granny, she goes back and they make up. They make pasta in the second half, not zuppa, and the issue this time is jealousy, not misunderstanding. There's a new girl up the street, Janine, who's confident and pretty, and interested in Bailey. This turns Rosie into instant 'ice-queen tiger'. But, Granny Torrelli talks about Violetta and Marco in her own past, giving both Bailey and Rosie something to mull over. 'Tutto va bene' says Granny Torrelli, and as always, she's right. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews