Blog Post #5

"Stir it up!" a novel by Ramin Ganeshram
This story is about a 13 year old girl named Anjali, who has a strong passion for cooking. She works in her family's restaurant called "Island Spice" when i read the book, i realized that she loved cooking in the restaraunt, but she is in such a rush, she doesn't enjoy it as much. Anjali's dad wants Anjali to go to a really good school in Manhattan called "Stuyvasent high school" Angali is quite smart and does want to go, but on the same day of the test an important cooking competition, and she is more passionate about that than she is of the Stuyvasent high school test. Anjali's dad does not approve, how does Anjali's dad change from the beginning to the end about Anjali's passion for cooking?

In the beginning of the book, Anjali's dad was strong about his shop, and did not notice her passion, and how much she loves to cook, he just had her cooking for his restaurant, Anjali's dad does know that Anjali is really smart, and he has high hopes for her, he wants her to be successful, with business, not with standing in a kitchen, little does he know, that all Anjali wants to do when she grows up, is to run a TV show, starring herself.

When Anjali gets an envelope, saying that her audition to a TV show called "Super Chef Kids" she is over whelmed with joy, because she has been worrying for months about getting through. She also gets her Stuyvasent letter, and the finals, is on the same day as her Stuyvasent test. This was the main problem in the book. Anjali showed her dad the letter, and he was pretty excited, but when he found out that it was on the same day as the Stuyvasent test, he was mad, and did not want Anjali to try out, no exceptions.

Anjali is determined to try out for the TV show, so she sends her best friend to take the Stuyvasent, test, and she wont even try. Anjali does not win the TV show, and her father finds out and he is angry as ever, taking away all her privileges. At the last show, when Anjali was going to be sent home, her dad had changed his mind and realized Anjali's passion for cooking, and respected that fact

I guess that Anjali's dad was too worked up with working to not realize that his daughter loved cooking. When the author described the restaurant in the story, it seemed like a very busy place. I guess that Anjali's dad was a bit too hard on Anjali and he realized it.