It all begins with a fight. Even the best of friends fight. And now Rosie is with Granny Torrelli talking about Bailey, her best friend, and thinking about their friendship over the years. Bits of memories flutter out onto the pages and we learn about Bailey, how he slowly grew blind and how his father left. We also read about more recent episodes when Rosie did some not-so-clever things. They were always done with the best of intentions but the results were often disastrous, and very funny. While sharing these memories, Rosie and Granny Torrelli make soup and talk.

Then, when the fight is over, something new develops between Rosie and Bailey. There is a new girl living on their street, and in no time Rosie finds that she does not like this newcomer one bit; jealousy has reared its ugly head. So Rosie, Bailey and Granny Torrelli make pasta and sauce, and Granny Torrelli tells the best friends a story about jealousy, and then another story that changes everything.

In no time at all, we know Rosie and her granny quite well. Rosie even tells us how Granny Torrelli pronounces certain words: "Zuppa! She calls it. She says it like this: Zoo-puh!" Granny Torrelli is the kind of grandmother we all would like to have. She sees things as they are and speaks her mind, yet she is funny at the same time. Granny sprinkles her speech with Italian as she does her cooking and tells her stories.

In Granny Torrelli, Sharon Creech has created yet another larger-than-life character who we can fall in love with and will want to hold on to. Told from Rosie's point of view and broken up into very short chapters, the prose in this delightful book is colloquial and personal. We are taken deep inside Rosie's thoughts and feelings, and we cannot help but grow fond of this girl who loves so hard and who is lucky enough to have such a wise grandmother.

   --- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber

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