That Reminds Me of a Book: Cooking with Julia

Welcome to That Reminds Me of a Book, our regular feature where we link current events and pop-culture happenings with YA books.

With the release of the new movie Julie & Julia starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, it suddenly seems like Julia Child and her particular take on French cooking are everywhere! To feed your need to read, check out Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser…

16-year-old Elaine loves to cook, and has been mastering the art of French cooking (with the help of Julia Child’s famous books) ever since she was 8. With five rambunctious brothers in the house, Elaine certainly has no shortage of people willing to try her creations! But not all of her family members support Elaine’s passion for cookery – her mother, a strongly feminist congresswoman, is dismayed by Elaine’s desire to "fit into a pre-feminist role." Elaine writes dozens of letters to her idol, Julia Child, but can’t overcome her shyness to mail even one. When her outrageous friend Lucida convinces Elaine to enter a televised cooking contest, her shyness will have to give way to Elaine’s desire to create a culinary masterpiece – in front of a live studio audience! A quick, funny, touching, and enlightening (so that’s how you make a Thon en Chartreuse) read, Dear Julia will warm the heart of any food lover.

And if you don’t mind venturing into the adult section of the library, you might enjoy the book upon which the movie is based:

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
The true story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in one year.