While this is a follow-up to The Tea Shop Girls, this is enough its own story that it could pretty easily be read as a standalone if you don’t have access to that first book.

I liked the romantic aspect of this one more than the unworthy crush in The Tea Shop girls. What I appreciated here was just how age appropriate it seemed, these kids are really young so I liked that Annie and this boy’s feelings were mostly confused and hesitant which felt about right for being twelve or thirteen years old.

As an adult reader I at times craved a little less simplicity in the writing and a little more emotional depth but for the actual intended audience which is probably on the very youngest end of middle-grade, there’s a lot to like here with experimenting to bake the perfect scone (recipes included), heroines who are very driven towards reaching their goals, and supportive friendships that steer each other in the right direction whenever they veer off course. ( )

I was enjoying this quite a bit until the ending, which I felt cheapened the experience. The characters are nicely drawn, an improvement over the first book, and the competition storyline kept me involved. And those scones all sounded delicious...except for the shrimp one. ( )

This was a very cute book. There were a lot of interesting things in it. and it is certainly age appropriate. Annie wants to win a contest to bake the best scone and win a trip to London. Not only does she have to make a winning scone recipe, but she also has to get ready for her first year of high school. And deal with boys. And be a good friend. And get people to follow her food blog so she can make it to Chicago to bake her scones and win. That's a lot for one summer!

There was some very interesting information in here. If you have a middle-school aged girl interested in tea, she will certainly get a lot of information about different kinds of tea. There's also a lot of talk about healthy eating. Annie's friend Genna wants to become an actress and feels she needs to lose some weight to do it. Some very good points are brought up in the book about how Genna needs to concentrate less on cutting out foods and more on adding healthy foods. This is a great lesson for young girls, and there are even some tips on good things to eat. They also talk about how moderation is the key, and it's always ok to eat treats that aren't as healthy in moderation.

There is a lot of talk about locally grown ingredients and gardens that I loved. It's fun to try and get involved in your food. It never comes off as preachy though. Overall, this is just a sweet book that I think many girls will enjoy. There are also some scone recipes in there I'm dying to try. They look delicious!

Galley provided by publisher for review. ( )