author: Sharon Creech asin: 0064409600 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today.

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don't always get along, that's true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her interesting stories and family recipes. It's easier to remember what's important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

author: Rocco Dispirito asin: 0786868570 binding: Hardcover list price: $24.95 USD amazon price: $36.34 USD

Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito is best known for his short-lived reality TV show The Restaurant, which chronicled the start-up (and disintegration) of DiSpirito's Manhattan dining spot, Rocco's 22nd Street, whose menu was partially devised by his mother Nicolina. Rocco's Italian American offers 150-plus recipes--restaurant-connected dishes like Nicolina's much praised meatballs plus her Eggplant Rollatini and Pizza Fritta, among others. Worthy versions of old favorites include Spaghetti Carbonara, Linguini with Clams, and Stuffed Artichokes.

author: Kristen Heitzmann asin: 0764224174 binding: Paperback list price: $13.99 USD amazon price: $23.60 USD

Book 3 of Diamond of the Rockies historical fiction series. The ache of her recent loss is a constant companion, and Carina longs to return to her family and her former home. With Quillan at her side, they make the journey to the California vineyards and to the closely-knit Italian American family Carina left when she moved to Crystal, Colorado. But Carina's parents are ignortant of their daughters marriage, and Quillan is far different from the husband they had in mind.

author: Jerry Spinelli asin: 0679887911 binding: Paperback list price: $10.95 USD amazon price: $9.65 USD

"A master of those embarrassing, gloppy, painful, and suddenly wonderful things that happen on the razor's edge between childhood and full-fledged adolescence" (The Washington Post),  Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli has penned his early autobiography with all the warmth, humor, and drama of his best-selling fiction. From first memories through high school, including first kiss, first punch, first trip to the principal's office, and first humiliating sports experience, this is not merely an account of a highly unusual childhood.

author: Alan Epstein asin: 006093395X binding: Paperback list price: $13.00 USD amazon price: $11.70 USD

A celebration of the character and style of one of the world's most spectacular cities!

author: Stephen Puleo asin: 0807050369 binding: Hardcover list price: $26.95 USD amazon price: $20.48 USD

In this lively and engaging history, Stephen Puleo tells the story of the Boston Italians from their earliest years, when a largely illiterate and impoverished people in a strange land recreated the bonds of village and region in the cramped quarters of the North End: Sicilians lived next to Sicilians, Avellinesi among Avellinesi, and so on.

Focusing on this first and crucial Italian enclave in Boston, Puleo describes the experience of Boston's Italian immigrants as they battled poverty, illiteracy, and prejudice (Italians were lynched more often than members of any other ethnic group e

author: Henry Hill Priscilla Davis asin: 0451207068 binding: Paperback list price: $19.00 USD amazon price: $17.90 USD

Henry Hill was a born wiseguy, and his love of food got him through both the good and bad times. Even cooking on the run in the Federal Witness Protection Program-where prosciutto was impossible to find and gravy was something you put on mashed potatoes-he managed to keep good Italian food on the table. He still brings this flair for improvisation to his cooking. No recipe is set in stone. And substitutions are listed just in case.

author: Peter Pezzelli asin: 0758220502 binding: Paperback list price: $14.00 USD amazon price: $12.67 USD

With his trademark warmth, humor, and wisdom, Peter Pezzelli's newest novel weaves an unforgettable tale of Italian-American life and family, hope and heartbreak, lessons learned and lessons deferred, and a love that can heal time's greatest wounds...

Italian Lessons

Fresh out of college, Carter Quinn has returned to his home in North Providence, Rhode Island, unsure of just about everything except his plans to go to Italy and pursue the woman of his dreams.