Julia's Kitchen

"Major themes about grief and healing are beautifully addressed in what turns out to be a strong debut novel." -- Booklist

Ferber, B. A. (2006). Julia's kitchen. New York : Farrar,Straus and Giroux.

When Cara gets the phone call that her mom and sister died in a house fire, questions start spinning through her mind. Why was her dad the only one to survive? Would she have been able to save them had she been home? Soon, she finds her life changing. Her dad won't talk to her about what happened, her friends grow tired of talking to her about it, and she is left home alone to fend for herself each night. As she struggles to find answers, Cara decides to continue her mom's cookie catering business, Julia's Kitchen. She finds comfort and a sense of closeness with her mom each time the smell of cookies swirls throughout the kitchen. Will the cookies bring all the pieces of her life back together?

Reading Level: 620L
Suggested Delivery: Small group or independent read

Electronic Resources:

The Writing Process: This website features an interview with the author of Julia's Kitchen, Brenda Ferber. She discusses her writing process and openly admits that she began writing because writing helped her understand things. Throughout the interview, she discusses how she approaches writing, how she gets through periods of writer's block, and the parts of writing she enjoys the most. Students can use this site to gain an understanding of how they can approach their writing. They can develop a relationship with a real-life author.

Reading Guide: This teacher's guide features a brief summary of the book, discussion questions students can answer, and activities they can complete. It also has links to websites students can go to for more information.

Vocabulary: griddle, smothered, gasp, morbid, synagogue, pestering, captions, caskets, flitting, rabbi, shabbot, challah, composition, mezuzot, Hebrew, affixed, stupor

Reading Strategies:

• Before Reading: Discuss various Jewish traditions. What do they mean and why are they observed?
• During Reading: Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Cara and her family's traditions with the traditions of your family.
• After Reading: Think about the relationship between Cara and her father now that Cara's mother and sister have passed away. Think about why he will not talk to her about what happened. Why does Cara accept this and try to cope with the loss on her own? Write a poem for two voices from these two perspectives using this information.

Inferential Comprehension: Why does Cara want to continue her mom's business?