The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman Books) [Hardcover]

Laura Schaefer (Author), Sujean Rim (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2008 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Paula Wiseman Books

The Official Rules of the Teashop Girls

1. Teashop girls are best friends forever.

2. Tea is held every week, no matter what.

3. All tea and scones must be split equally at all times.

Annie, Genna, and Zoe have been hanging out at the Steeping Leaf since elementary school. The Teashop Girls do everything together -- at least they used to. With the end of eighth grade approaching, Genna's too busy with theater, Zoe's always at tennis, and Annie feels totally left out. What happened to tea every week, no matter what?

When Annie convinces her grandmother to give her a job as a barista at the Leaf, things begin to look up. In between whipping up chai lattes for customers, and attempting to catch the attention of her Barista Boy crush, Annie is finally beginning to feel as grown-up as her best friends. But an eviction notice spells trouble for the Leaf and unless they can turn the business around, the teashop will have to close its doors forever.

Fresh, honest, and sweet, Laura Schaefer's debut novel is sure to resonate with readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Everything tea drinkers might want to know about that beverage can be found in this clever first novel. Thirteen-year-old Annie is determined to keep her grandmother's old-fashioned teashop from going out of business. As she tries to drum up new customers, she faces other problems as well: her two best friends' waning interest in the project, her ill-fated crush on her grandmother's cute new employee and unwanted attention from a less desirable boy. Recipes, facts and quotes about tea are sandwiched between the chapters, and cozy illustrations of teapots and cakes alongside photographs of vintage advertisements add to the fun. However, the onslaught of extras can interrupt the flow of the story. Like the mismatched interior of the Steeping Leaf cafe, the eclectic, slightly cluttered nature of this book won't be everyone's cup of you-know-what, but those who share the heroine's passion for funk (and, of course, tea) will drink it up. Ages 8–14. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

As children, Annie, Zoe, and Genna hung out at Annie’s grandmother’s teashop and called themselves the Teashop Girls. Now nearing the end of middle school, they’re still best friends, but Annie works at the shop while her friends are involved other activities. Annie rallies Zoe and Genna to help when she learns that the teashop may have to close. Their creative marketing ploys sometimes flop, but their efforts pay off in unexpected ways. At the heart of this first-person narrative is Annie’s fear of change and her reluctant realization of childhood’s end as she sees high school on the horizon. Her hopes of romance with an older coworker are dashed in a realistic way, but her firm base of friends and family provides equally realistic grounding for this sympathetic character. Tea lovers will enjoy the scrapbook entries of tea history, lore, advertisements, and recipes as well as the quotes that appear at the beginning of each chapter. Like good tea: comforting, refreshing, and sustaining. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; 1 edition (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416967931
• ISBN-13: 978-1416967934
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,117,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Schaefer began her writing career as a book review editor at the University of Wisconsin's student paper The Daily Cardinal. She went on to write regularly for The Princeton Review and Match.com.

Laura is the author of The Secret Ingredient (Simon & Schuster 2011), The Teashop Girls (Simon & Schuster 2008) and Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005). She is also the founder and publisher of Planet Explorers, travel guidebooks for kids. The first four titles in the series are Walt Disney World, Disneyland, New York City and Chicago.

Visit Laura online at www.teashopgirls.com or www.planet-explorers.net. You can also follow her on Twitter (@teashopgirl).

Laura lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cosy and comfy book, December 26, 2008

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

I have to say that I really, really loved this book.

I love reading about teas and teashops - everything associated with tea makes me feel cosy and comfy - that warm feeling.

First of all, I have to say that I liked the cover of this book. Suited perfectly for the story inside. We meet Annie and her two friends Genna and Zoe. They are all tealovers and have been since they were in elementary school. But as of late, Zoe and Genna have disconnected a little bit - since "life" has taken over. But Annies love for the Steeping Leaf, her grandmother's cosy, teashop in the middle of town, is still as strong and she decides to ask her grandmother if she can now work at the shop.

While Annie is at the shop, she makes a hearbreaking discovery, the teashop is not doing all that well - and her grandmother has not been able to pay the bills - so Annie and her two friends plot out an idea to "save" their beloved teashop.

The story is quaint and cute and the word that comes to my mind is "innocent". I am kind of use to reading YA with social messages about drugs and sex and The Teashop Girls was a nice change of pace from those storylines.

Of course, there is a little romance intertwined, but it is kept cute and romantic and the main story remains the teashop and the love these 3 girls have for their beloved shop!!!

Peppered throughout the books are old black and white ads featuring teas and or teapots and there are some nice little suggestions as to how to drink your tea. I loved the old ads - just added to the whole "warmth" feeling I had throughout this wonderfully touching book.

I believe this may be book one of a series and I look forward to reading more books about tea and the love of tea.

Actually, my perfect scenario was reading this book while in the teashop! which actually happened to me last week!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun book about 'The Teashop Girls' Club ~ cute!, December 31, 2008

By 

randomartco "period film aficionado" (Greater Washington D.C. area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

When Annie Green gets her first job at her grandmother's tea shop, The Steeping Leaf, things really start to happen in this 13-going-on-14 year old's life! Older boy crushes, pool parties, fights with friends, as well as scheming plans to bring more business into the tea shop that Annie and best friends' Genna & Zoe have been hanging out at all their lives. They are the original 'Teashop Girls', with club rules like 'all tea & scones must be split equally' and 'tea is held every week, no matter what'...

I really enjoyed this lovely little book that has a nice storyline, as well as great information on tea history & brewing: there are lots of great tea tips & a few recipes in here: from someone like me who loves tea, this is a great book with a quick, easy ready storyline, as well as fun tea facts and info. This book is very clean as far as content goes, perfect for young girls, with no language or objectionable content: in fact, the 'worst' thing that happens is one of the girls throws a pool party in her parent's absence and gets a bit busted for it. I high recommend this for young girl readers, especially ones who may be a bit interested in tea: the tea recipes & facts are mostly done as asides, with a few woven into the storyline, so the extra tea info. can be skipped over if the reader is not interested: very well done!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good choice for 4th to 8th grade girls, March 9, 2009

By 

Carol M (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman Books) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Teashop Girls is a sweet novel about a girl and her friends, who strive to save her grandmother's faltering tea store.

My ten-year-old daughter enjoyed this book very much. She liked the characters, and felt like they were girls she would want to be friends with. She enjoyed the interesting facts about tea, which were communicated both in the storyline and also with supplementary illustrations, diary entries, character's drawings, and recipes. Reading this book sparked a new interest in tea -- she was on a bit of "tea craze" for a week or two after reading this book.

As a mom, I appreciated that this novel had nothing "inappropriate" in it. The girls are all nice kids, who are supportive of each other and respectful to their families and teachers. There is a love interest, but it's a tame puppy love crush situation.

I'd estimate this book is about a fifth or sixth grade reading level, and spans about a fourth to eighth grade interest level. It's not going to hold the attention of readers who crave action or pop culture glamour. But it would be perfect for maturing fans of the "American Girls Today" books.