Customer Reviews

The Teashop Girls (Paula Wiseman Books)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!

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.

I adored this book! It definitely soared above my expectations! It was sweet and warm and just all things good!

The book centers around Annie and her beloved Steeping Leaf that her grandmother owns. She loves the Steeping Leaf so much she wants to get her very first job there, and it doesn't hurt that a cute older boy named Jonathan also works there! Her initial meeting with Jonathan is too funny! Everything is going well until one day the power goes out and Annie finds out that her grandmother has been having problems paying all her bills. Annie and her friends become determined to save the Steeping Leaf!

One of my favorite things about this book is all the old tea leaf ads and recipes. When Annie was younger she and her friends started a scrapbook of all things tea and these are clippings from it! The book is also full of beautiful watercolor illustrations. These just add to the experience of an already great book!

I had assumed it would be alternating perspectives based on what I read in the synopsis but that wasn't the case and it did not matter at all. Through Annie's voice we definitely also get a sense of her family and friends, Geena and Zoe. The cast of secondary characters were great. I especially loved the "very annoying" Zach!

I really hope this is just the beginning of the Teashop Girls adventures and that there are more books to come! Fingers crossed! This book has definitely peaked my interest in tea and I definitely hope to try a variety of teas in the near future!

The Teashop Girls reminds me of a lot of books I read when I was younger. It's kinda like The Baby-Sitters Club, only with an emphasis on tea instead of babies. It's sweet and cute and it's got a lot of moral-type things in it, including how important it is to support locally owned business. Also, friendship. Also, tea.

Annie was a great main character. She has spunk and passion, yet she hates change and can't deal with it when it comes around. Quite realistic, I thought, especially when you throw in her two friends, Zoe and Genna, who are moving forward and growing up, and Annie feels left behind. As Annie puts it: "[...] I still look and feel mostly like a kid, and my friends are starting to seem like, I don't know...women. It's weird." I think that's what a lot of kids feel when they're growing up and watching 20-year-olds play teenagers. You think you should look and act as mature as the "kids" on TV are acting, but people AREN'T TV actors and I like that it dealt with that issue.

Besides the main story, of course, there's lots of extra little things like recipes for tea and snacks, quotes about tea and coffee, plus some lovely pictures of old tea advertisements. Annie collects them, and yeah, she's completely obsessed about tea. Not that that's a bad thing- I collect tea tins, myself. And finally, there's illustrations by Sujean Rim, who does some art for the website DailyCandy. Awesome!

This book centers around a group of young girls who call themselves "The Teashop Girls" after years of meeting in Annie's (the main character) grandmother's tea shop to enjoy tea parties.

Annie is excited when she is finally old enough to go to work with her grandmother, and it is then that she learns she is about to lose the shop. Annie and her friends work together to try to save the shop.

During the story, the girls' friendships are explored as the story examines the differences between the girls and the directions their lives are heading in. It also lightly examines a crush Annie has on the boy who also works in her grandmother's shop.

As a side note, this book also contains some interesting tidbits about tea and the history of tea, and it also contains a few recipes (although we have not made them yet).

As a mother of 9 year old girl, I think this book is an appropriate read for her, as the themes throughout the book are tame enough to not expose her to any content above her head. Additionally, the girls' work to save the shop from closing lends credence to the fact that girls can do great things, which I think is important for young girls to hear.

I ordered this book without knowing that it was designed as a novel for young readers (specifically junior high school girls), but, even so, I quickly found myself enjoying the lively tale about a shy and awkward eighth grader who makes it her mission to save her grandmother's tea shop from being evicted or having to close. During Annie's quest, she also attempts to reunite her best friends, navigate her first crush, and manage the changes that come about with the transition to high school. She triumphs over many obstacles and comes through them all a more mature person, having discovered that what really matters is friendship, family and the ability to stay true to yourself. The book is charmingly written and the characters are engaging. Refreshingly, it is not a "modern" teenage novel, with an emphasis on drugs, sex and material possessions. Some may consider that this makes the book old-fashioned, but the lessons its characters learn are some of the most valuable in life.

Annie loves tea and in particular her grandmothers tea shop. During her 8th grade year, she starts working there as a barista, but discovers that the shop is losing money and may have to close down. She enlists the help of her two best friends (the Teashop Girls as they called themselves in elementary school) to save the shop. Recipes, antique tea ads, and tea tips are interspersed throughout the book. This would appeal to fourth to seventh grade age girls. It's a sweet book with first crushes and standing up for what you believe in.

It's a simple enough book to read but I love it because of that. The characters are all true to life and the dialogue actually engages you. There is nothing inappropriate for young kids to read so you'll feel good knowing that your 10 year old can read it also. It's a story about friendship and once you start you won't be able to put it down. A definite read for your young daugthers.

Annie's grandmother owns a tea shop. She and her two best friends are the tea shop girls. The tea shop sounds dainty and quaint, from the birds and plants outside to the old-fashioned indoors with wonderful tea and a sweet owner. It sounds like just the place I would like to go.

Annie gets a job working in her grandmother's tea shop. Her life is tea. Her two best friends are both busy with their schedules (tennis and drama), and they don't come into the shop as often. But will that change?

There were a few things about the book I didn't like. And I felt the pacing wasn't exactly perfect. It just ended abruptly after an I-wonder-what's-going-to-happen middle. There were parts of the middle that I didn't exactly like.

This book had the potential to be just as dainty as the tea shop. But aside from that, I must give the book credit for the wonderful facts about tea history, old advertisements, recipes, quotes, etc. All those things made the book a lot better and more interesting and more fun to read.