07.10.07
Granny Torelli Makes Soup…Summer Reading Blog Assignment
Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech is a great short read highlighting the relationship between a twelve year old girl, her grandmother and the boy next door. This book will compliment two of our class novels this year — Walk Two Moons and Love That Dog — both by Sharon Creech. Expect to be hungry by the end of the book!
If you’ve chosen to read Granny Torelli Makes Soup for your summer reading blog assignment, simply use your Summer Reading Blog Directions and click on the comment button below to begin writing your very own blog entry.
Happy Summer!!
July 11, 2007 at 10:59 pm
I have just finished reading “Granni Torrelli Makes Soup” by Sharon Creech. I highly recommend this book to people with best friends; particularly, people with friends who have special needs. This book is partly about two best friends who get in fights almost everyday. One of the friends, Bailey, is blind. Bailey picked up on braille very fast. Since he knew how to read braille, Rosie wanted to learn also. So, one day she went to the store and bought a couple of braille books. When she got home, right away she started studying the books very hard, and she also picked up on it very quickly. When she finally new all that she needed to, she ran over to Bailey’s home and told him she new braille. Very quickly things turned bad though, because Bailey really didn’t want Rosie learning braille. He thought that braille was the only thing he could do that she couldn’t. So, he told Rosie how he felt, and slowly she began to understand his feelings. Since I have a couple of best friends and know sometimes what their fights are about, I think all best friends should read this book.
July 14, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is a great book that has to do with friendship.I reccomend this book to anybody, especially to people with a best friend, or best friends.This book is about two best friends who have known each other from when they were only a few weeks old. Their names are Rosie and Baily. Baily is blind. These two best friends get in a few fights every week. But, Granny Torrelli knows how to make everything a lot better. But, one day, a new girl moves into the neighborhood. Her name is Janine. Rosie doesn’t like Janine because she thinks Baily likes Janine more than Baily likes her. But, at the end of the story, Rosie likes Janine and everything is wonderful in that neighborhood.
July 14, 2007 at 3:12 pm
My different title for the book would probobly be Rosie and Baily. I would make that my title because the story is all about Rosie and Baily growing up together and all about their fights.
August 7, 2007 at 1:20 pm
There were only two lines in the book that caught my attention. The first line was ” that Baily “. I also thought that ” Baily, my friend, my pal, my twin.” I like those two lines because Rosie uses them quite often to describe her best friend, Baily. I wouldn’t change anything about the book. I think that it is great the way it is. My favorite part of the book was the ending when Rosie, Baily, and all their neighbors have a nice pasta party al together, and eveything is happy where they are.
August 26, 2007 at 1:35 pm
I really enjoyed the Granny Torrelli Makes Soup book by Sharon Creech. I wanted to keep reading it to see how Granny Torrelli’s stories helped Rosie deal with her best friend Bailey. Rosie would tell Granny Torrelli all of her problems in the kitchen while cooking together. Rosie and Bailey were fighting alot due to many changes of events in their lives. Bailey was blind and needed to go to a special school. Rosie wanted to constantly rescue Bailey from his stuggles. Granny Torrelli would share stories from her past that seemed very similar to what Rosie and Bailey were experiencing.
I would reccomend this book to alot of people but the one person that I think would really relate to it is my Grandma. My Grandma tells me stories about her past all the time. I really enjoy the stories that she tells me. My Grandma resembles Granny Torelli with a passion of cooking, telling stories, and solving problems.
Throughout the book Rosie refers to herself as an ice queen, fox and tiger in a way to express her feelings. At times when she is very angry or jealous of Bailey, Rosie calls herself a tiger. On page 89, when Bailey mentions the new girl, Janine, Rosie turns into an instant ice queen. Rosie said, “I say nothing. My tongue is frozen. My lips are ice. My eyes are freezing solid, round like globs.” When Rosie discovers that Bailey is going to teach Janine, Braille she became very angry and said, “I think my tiger is going to leap out of me, chew Bailey alive.” When two new boys are moving in Rosie saw them playing basketball. In an attempt to make Bailey jealous she says on page 128, “My sly fox pounces. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play basketball and because my sly fox is really mean, I add, Maybe they will teach me.” This story was well written and I think the author did an awesome job on descibing Rosie’s feelings.
My favorite part of the book was at the end when they were having the pasta party. Through Granny Torrelli’s stories, Rosie and Bailey learned what it takes to make a lasting friendship. Rosie realized that she can’t be in control of everything. Each day we face new challenges and overcome them. Being jealous and stubborn over minor things are not keys to a successful friendship.
August 26, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup was a great book. This book has to do with friendship, helping each other out, and caring about each other. This book made me feel this way because Bailey and Rosie have been friends forever but sometimes they fight and after thinking about what they did they both say their sorry. Their friendship gets them through any trials because they know that they care for each other. If I were to give this book a different title it would be Friendship. The reason why I would name it this is because even if they fight they always get back together.
August 27, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I really loved the book Granny Torelli Makes Soup because I was so excited about what would happen in Granny Torelli’s stories. It was so interesting how Granny Torelli’s stories help Rosie with her friendship with Bailey. I was so anxious that I finished the book in one day! I would recomend this book to anyone because it’s so easy to relate to. I also liked the book because all Granny Torelli’s stories had something to do with whats happening to Rosie. My favorite part of the book is when Granny Torelli teaches Bailey and Rosie how to cook while she is telling them her stories about when she was little. I liked Granny Torelli’s stories because they are so funny and I could picture me doing the same thing.
August 28, 2007 at 11:57 pm
If I were to rename the title of this book I would change it to Granny Torelli stirs up a pot of friendships. An example of this would be with Rosie and Bailey.Throughout the story there seems to be so much tension between these two. Granny Torelli finally gets Rosie and Bailey past their anger towards each other by making pasta and touching each others hands. Rosie’s jealousy of Janine also improved throughout the story with the help of Granny Torelli. Granny Torelli also shared how she had tension with people in her family and worked through it with love. This story really gives me a good idea of how to keep friendships strong and not let them frustrate me for long.
August 29, 2007 at 1:31 pm
If I could change the name of this book i think I would change it to Can We Just Stick Together. I would change it to that because the title of a book usally has a lot to do with the story. If it was changed to Can We Just Stick Together i think that Baily and Rosie would not get into as many fights as they did. Instead of getting in all of those fights Rosie would help Baily. Baily and Rosie have known each other since they were a few weeks old. The fighting in the story adds intensity but not everyone wants to read about fights. I think that only a couple fights should be in the story. Everyone likes action but in this story there’s a little to much action. Even though they’re still frends in the end the story still needs more happy thoughts. I love the ending though where Baily, Rosie,and Janine all become friends.
August 31, 2007 at 11:29 am
I thought Granny Torrelli Makes Soup was an enjoyable book. I liked it because there was never a dull moment and I liked how the author told about a great connection between a young girl and her grandmother. However, I didn’t like how Granny Torrelli used a lot of Italian words like stupido, Tutto va bene and zuppa, which made the book sometimes confusing. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is about Rosie and her best friend Bailey, who have been friends since birth. Bailey is blind, which makes their friendship difficult. Because of his disability, Bailey and Rosie got into a fight about Rosie learning braille. Bailey doesn’t want Rosie to learn Braille since that is the only thing he can do that she can’t. Rosie tells her Granny Torrelli about the fight while they make soup together. She also tells Granny Torrelli about a new neighbor, Janine. Rosie thinks Bailey likes Janine more than herself because Bailey offered to teach her braille. Granny Torrelli makes Rosie feel better about her problem with Bailey by telling her a story about her childhood. The situation she had with a friend named Pardo is similar to the situation Rosie has with Bailey. One day Violetta moved in next door to Pardo and Pardo only wanted to be with Violetta, not Granny Torelli. Eventually Marco moved in next door to Granny Torrelli and he found her enchanting. Pardo disliked Marco so Granny Torrelli became friends with Pardo again and Violetta became friends with Marco. Everyone was happy. Coincidentally, as Granny Torrelli was telling Rosie this story, two boys move in to the neighborhood and Janine likes being with them instead of Bailey. Rosie is happy because she has her friend Bailey back. I thought it was neat how Granny Torelli’s story related so well with Rosie’s problem. My favorite part of the book is the pasta party. The whole neighborhood was there and everyone was laughing and talking and having a great time. It was a great ending to the book. If I could change the title of the book, I would change it to Being Blind since Bailey being blind is what the whole story is based on.
August 1, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Granny Torrelli makes soup was one of my most favorite books. I enjoyed reading this book because once I started, I couldnt stop! I just loved how everything was and how Rosie and Baily acted around each other. They were greatly honest to each other and loved each other’s company… most of the time. I would recommend this book to anyone whom is willing to read a great story. To me, this book was great entertainment. Just about everything was tied together so well from how Granny Torrelli and Rosie had the same stories, in a way, with Pardo and Baily along with Granny Torrelli was jealous of Violetta and Rosie was jealous of Janine. They basically had the same life, but in two diffrent dimensions. If I could change the title to this book, I would call it, Rosie’s Problems, because literaly in the whole story Rosie goes through, at least what she thinks, a lot of problems. My absolute favorite quote (and my favorite part)out of the whole book was on page 58, when the nasty, mean girls were chasing Rosie, pulling on her hair and whacking Rosie on the head with her books, Baily comes to the rescue chases the mean nasty girls away and tells Rosie, “And I am your prince-Prince Baily-and I came to your rescue.” If I could change anything in this book, I wouldn’t change a thing.
August 1, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I just finished reading “Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.” I thought the book had a great meaning and many awesome lines. There was one line that really stood out to me. “My granny Torrelli says when you are angry with someone, so angry that you are thinking hateful things,so angry maybe you want to punch them,then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they’ve said, and why you liked them in the first place.”In the book, Rosie is thinking about this adice after she and Bailey got into a fight. Her granny really helped her think things through after she and Bailey got into the argument about Rosie reading Braille books. Bailey was angry with Rosie bacause he felt proud to be able to do something that Rosie couldn’t, but now she could do it,too.On the other hand, Rosie was confused why Bailey wasn’t happy about it until Granny Torrelli explained it to her. I think this quote is very well written and can help many people in everyday life. In addition, it would help people to calm themselves down when they are furious with someone. I believe that in every book there is at least one significant line or quote.
August 15, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I’ve recently completed reading Granny Torelli Makes Soup. It was almost impossible to put down. It was described so well I almost felt like I was there. I loved when Rosie said she is a tiger or an ice queen. I also liked when Granny Torelli told Rosie and Bailey stories about her childhood. I like this because you get to know how her life was and how much Rosie’s life is similar to her grandmother’s.
One of my favorite quotes were, “If you are angry with someone…then you should think about the good things about them, and the nice things they’ve said, and why you liked them in the first place.” This quote is great advice and was clearly well thought out. I would recommend Granny Torelli Makes Soup to anyone who has a friendship, anyone with a disorder, and everyone who knows how to read. This book is perfect just how it is; I would never change anything about it.
August 15, 2008 at 2:01 pm
There were several parts in the book, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, that I enjoyed, but two of those really stood out to me. The first part that caught my attention was when Granny Torrelli revealed all of her old stories about her and her companion, Pardo, highlighting conflicts between them. I enjoyed that segment because it has given me examples of how to perform and what to say during sticky conflicts with friends. Another fragment that I truly took pleasure in was when Granny Torrelli, Rosy, and Bailey made their mouthwatering, scrumptious, lip smacking pasta. I liked it because every time they would come back to making their pasta, my stomach would howl like a coyote on a dark, eerie night.
There were numerous lines and quotes in the book, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, which caught my attention, however, one stood out to me. The first segment that I really felt useful was this article, “My granny Torrelli says when you are angry with someone, so angry you are thinking hateful things, so angry maybe you want to punch them, then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they’ve said, and why you liked them in the first place.” This quote makes me realize that if every middle schooler followed this quote, there would be fewer disagreements among friends and we would all have a more enriching experience together in middle school.
The title, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, is a splendid title; however, if I were to create a new one, it would be more descriptive. I would title it, Granny Torrelli’s Life Lessons, because this book was mainly about Granny Torrelli exposing her wisdom, through her personal stories. Even though my title is more expressive, I still adore the title that Sharon Creech chose, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.
There were several things that I liked and also disliked about, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. One key thing that I didn’t find very amusing about the book was the bad language. A word that was used in that book several times was, “Oh crud!” Even though I didn’t find this one remark very appropriate, I did like how the descriptive sentences sucked me into the book. Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is the first story that I have read by Sharon Creech, and by reading it, has encouraged me to read more of her children’s books.
I would recommend this book to arriving middle schoolers who are worried about sticky situations in middle school, including friendship troubles.
This book was one of the finest books that I’ve read. It made me laugh and I look forward to reading these types of books this year.
August 16, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I really enjoyed reading Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. The classic story is about Bailey and Rosie’s amazing friendship and problems they go through while Granny Torrelli cooks. Back in the kitchen, Granny Torrelli always found an answer to everything. The hard and confusing times they go through together are heartwarming to me. When Janine moves into the neighborhood and was all over Bailey, I was very angry and I felt bad for Rosie, but I knew that no one could come between Bailey and Rosie’s friendship. One quote that I favored was “My Granny Torrelli says when you are angry at someone, so angry that you are thinking hateful things, so angry maybe you want to punch them, then you should think of the good things about them, and the nice things they’ve said, and why you liked them in the first place.” My favorite part of the well-written story was at the end when they had the fabulous pasta party.
August 17, 2008 at 1:06 pm
This summer, I choose to read Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech. This fantastic book is about a young girl, Rosie,who has a best friend, Bailey, who is blind. All best friends have there ups and downs, but Rosie depends on Grandma Torrelli’s wise words to help her get through her problems. I loved hearing Grandma Torrelli’s stories about her dear friend, Pardo. I would recommend this book to anyone who is or has a best friend. I thought this book was a fun, enjoyable, light summer read.
I loved the title the Sharon Creech choose, but if I made it my own, I would call it Soup and Stories. Overall, my favorite part of the book was when Grandma Torrelli told her exiciting stories about chopping Violetta’s hair off to losing Pardo’s beloved dog. Grandma Torrell Makes Soup taught me that in the end everything will work out okay, so put a smile on and enjoy your life just how it is.
August 26, 2008 at 9:29 pm
This summer I read Granny Torelli Makes Soup. This easy read is about a young girl, named Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, who happens to be blind. Most of the book is centered around the challenges that the two friends face. For every situation, Granny Torelli, Rosie’s grandmother, has uplifting words of wisdom that she shares with stories from her own childhood. These interesting stories are always told while Granny Torelli is in the kitchen making her delicious soup.
Like all friends, Bailey and Rosie don’t always see eye to eye. For example, when a new girl, Janine, moves onto the block and tries to steal the show, Rosie is overcome with jealousy and anger causing her and Bailey to not get along. Lucky for them, Granny has a story of when she was a young girl and Violetta tried to steal her best friend, Pardo. Granny’s stories always seem to have a lesson of love, friendship, understanding and how to overcome life’s little problems.
One of my favorite lines from the book was “He smiles that great Bailey smile”. When I read these words, I could tell Rosie had a true place in her heart for her friend no matter if they were in a fight or not. Another line I like was Granny Torelli’s “Tutto va bene” which means all is well. I think these Italian words sum up the idea of the book.
If I had to rename Sharon Creech’s book, I might call it Chicken Noodle Stories and Grilled Cheese Love. This title would work because every problem is solved with a warm story and delicious homemade food.
Although this was not my all time favorite book, Granny Torelli Makes Soup was enjoyable. I thought the main characters were interesting and I appreciated that although they were so different, their lives were similar. My only objection was that the book was somewhat predictable.
August 27, 2008 at 3:18 pm
With the assistance of her clever, elderly grandmother, twelve-year-old Rosie manages to sort out the troubles in her relationship with her best friend Bailey. I loved this remarkable and emotional book and could not stop reading it! I enjoyed the relationship between the main characters especially Rosie and her Granny. I liked when Granny told Rosie stories about her life when they were making soup together. These stories always seem to relate to similar obstacles Rosie and Bailey are dealing with in their own lives. This book is designed for young readers between the ages of 8 and 12 but I would recommend it to all ages. I believe the book’s message about life, love, and friendship pertains to everyone. My favorite part of this pleasurable book was the character of Granny. She is adorable and the type of Granny everyone would love to have. She speaks her mind, views things as they truly are, and is continually humorous. Granny helps Bailey and Rosie determine a special recipe for a lifelong friendship.
August 29, 2008 at 1:00 pm
This summer I read the book Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. This wonderful book was about a tall,skinny 12-year old girl named Rosie,and the problems she faces with her best friend Bailey who is blind. Not all best friends get along,but Granny Torrelli helps Rosie get though her problems while cooking rapidly in the kitchen. My favortie part about this fantastic book was when Granny told her adventurous stories about her good friend Pardo and the obstacles they face. The stories that Granny Torrelli tells the children happen to relate to Rosie’s life.
I would recemend this book to anyone who has problems with their best friend. I really think that Granny ’s uplifting words could help you find a solution to the problem. If I could change the title fo the book I would call it Soup For Your Soul because while Granny is in the kitchen making yummy zuppa soup her great words reach for your soul. With Granny Torrelli’s wise words and recipes for life Rosie and Bailey overcame their problems and are bound to have eternal friendship!
September 5, 2008 at 10:16 am
This summer I read a great book called Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. The book is about a 12 year old girl named Rosie, Rosie’s Granny Torrelli (who likes to cook very much), and Rosie’s best friend in the whole world, Bailey (who is blind, but with Rosie’s help he gets along just fine). I LOVED this book because of many reasons, but one in particular, is how Granny Torrelli tells Rosie stories about her Pardo, the black mangy dog, and Violetta. The story made me laugh, and sometimes it made me wonder if Rosie’s and Bailey’s friendship was going to last. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find a fantastic book to read. Who knows, Granny Torrelli might help you with your friendship problems. If I had to choose a different title for the book, I would call it Granny Torrelli’s Story Soup because Granny Torrelli is almost always making yummy zuppa while she tells her inspiring childhood stories. Granny Torrelli made life long friends when she was a child, and with her help, Bailey and Rosie can do the same.