Nacho's Nachos ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Sneak Peek & Giveaway!

NACHO'S NACHOS

The Story Behind the 

World's Favorite Snack

by

Sandra Nickel

Illustrated by 

Oliver Dominguez

Genre: Picture Book / Nonfiction / Food History / Latinx Interest  

Publisher: Lee & Low Books 

Publication Date: August 11, 2020 

Number of Pages: 32

 Scroll down for the giveaway!

NACHO’S NACHOS is the deliciously true story about how nachos were invented—about what happened when a regular customer asked Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya for something new, and there were no chefs in the kitchen. 

2020 is the eightieth anniversary of the invention, and Oliver Dominguez’s illustrations transport us back to the border of the Rio Grande in 1940, when Nacho’s quick thinking resulted in a snack now eaten everywhere from Texas to Paris to Hong Kong!

CLICK TO PURCHASE:

  Amazon ┃ Barnes & Noble ┃ IndieBound ┃ Book Depository     

Sneak Peek: an interior spread from Nacho’s Nachos

By Sandra Nickel

Illustrated by Oliver Dominguez

"In the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, Rodolfo de los Santos heard about Nacho. Rodolfo was opening a new restaurant, the Victory Club, right across the Rio Grande river from Eagle Pass, Texas, in the United States.

The Club Victoria, as the restaurant was called in Spanish, had its own orchestra, a Moonlight Patio for dancing, and four different menus, featuring everything from steaks to seafood to Mexican specialties. Rodolfo wanted the best music, the best food, and the best people—and that included Nacho."

HALL WAYS REVIEW: DELICIOUS. DELIGHTFUL. DEFINITELY INFORMATIVE. And important point: Ignacio Anaya may have invented nachos, but if it wasn't for the culinary queen, Texan Mamie Finan, asking him to whip up something new and different for her, would he have?! (Ha! I may be trying to give Texas some cred for the world's favorite snack, but it's only a little stretch.) 

Nacho's Nachos is a terrific little story that captivates readers because nachos, yeah, but also because it's about something most have never pondered. Author Sandra Nickel's matter-of-fact storytelling is perfectly complemented by the retro illustrations by Oliver Dominguez, whose attention to detail (those mustaches and perfectly coiffed hair-dos!) and vibrant strokes of color bring the story to life. The words and pictures place readers right in Piedras Negras, and Ignacio's unfolding story.

And BONUS! The end of the story isn't the end of the book. Nickel has provided the original nachos recipe, some biographical information about Ignacio and Mamie (See! She IS integral!), and a great list of sources the author used in her research. 

What a fun book this would be for use in the home or school classroom and/or library. The plethora of possible springboard activities would make this a sure hit with kids and adults alike. (And the publisher has a free teacher's guide with cute activities on the website.) 

Highly recommend Nacho's Nachos as a read aloud, read along, or just an enlightening read. But be warned: read it, and there WILL be a craving for a certain salty snack. 

My nachos are a long way from Nacho's nachos! And this is my #bookstagramfail since I got so excited about taking the nachos pic that I forgot to include the book in the picture.

Sandra Nickel writes books and poetry for young readers. In 2020 and 2021, she has three books coming out: Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack (Lee & Low), The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe (Abrams), and Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson (Abrams). Sandra’s poetry can be found in SCOOP magazine. 

Sandra holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. Sandra has twice won the Katherine Paterson Prize for picture books.

  Website ║ Blog ║ Facebook ║ Instagram ║ Twitter ║ Amazon ║ Goodreads 

---------------------------------

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

FIVE WINNERS!  

3 Winners: Print Copy + Recipe Card; 2 Winners: Recipe Card. 

AUGUST 20-30, 2020 

(US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE 

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 

or visit the blogs directly:

8/20/20	Author Interview	All the Ups and Downs
8/20/20	Sneak Peek	Hall Ways Blog
8/21/20	Review	Book Fidelity
8/21/20	Guest Post	StoreyBook Reviews
8/22/20	Review	Book Bustle
8/23/20	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
8/24/20	Review	The Page Unbound
8/25/20	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
8/25/20	Scrapbook Page	Reading by Moonlight
8/26/20	Guest Post	Forgotten Winds
8/27/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
8/28/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
8/28/20	Top Ten	Missus Gonzo
8/29/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
8/29/20	Review	That's What She's Reading

   blog tour services provided by

  

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Sáenz, B.A. (2012). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. 
     NY: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers.

AWARDS: Stonewall Book Award (2013), Printz Honor (2013), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten) (2013, Pura Belpre Author Award (2013).

QuickNEasy, 359 pages, ages 14-17

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads

So. . .  the reason I read this book was because I was asked to do so by a local librarian who wanted to know if it belonged in the collection or not.  My short answer is YES, YES, YES! READ THIS BOOK!

"Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing."   Wow. . . so much said in so few words.

This story and writing flow like honey out of a jar -- slowly, deliciously worth the wait.  The writing was absolutely beautiful, and though it flies in the face of logic that the narrator, a fifteen-year-old boy, would be so poetic in his narration, it works perfectly.  Ari is insightful, introspective, and angry, and it takes the full spectrum of the two years spanned in the story for Ari to figure out why he feels how he feels and recognize his feelings and reactions, which were sometimes misguided and at other times spot-on.

The strange thing about this book is that though Ari narrates it, I feel like I better know his best friend, Dante.  Both Ari and Dante are recognizable characters, as are both boys' parents.  In reading, I felt like these were people I'd met at work or church or down the street.  It was refreshing that though these families weren't perfect (find one that is) and slightly dysfunctional (again, whose isn't), these parents were THERE for their boys. They care, they love, they do the best they can and they are working to be better parents. There were times that my heart ached; it was painful to hear Ari's thoughts and his descriptions of what he was observing.  I just wanted to shake him and say "TALK to your dad! He is ready!"  And likewise, "Come on, Mom! Just tell him what he needs to hear!"

This book is about the often painful process of finding one's identity and finding acceptance of it -- both internally and from others.  The short chapters and lots of white space on pages made it very readable, which is why I labeled it a QuickNEasy book despite the number of pages.  So much to learn and think about including the value of family, friendship, trust, and love -- and the destructiveness of anger and silence.

The CLEAN-O-METER rating is a 7 out of 10.  There is some violence: a character gets severely attacked for being gay, but only the bodily injuries, not the attack is not described. There is a quick but bloody fistfight that results in a broken nose, and there are references to murders from fistfights. There is no sex, but there is some kissing between opposite sexes and same sexes. There is mention of masturbation, but no details.  There is discussion of sexual orientation and sexual identity with gay, lesbian, and questioning characters. As far as vulgar language, there is a bit of it, including the all powerful Fbomb, but sometimes it's used intentionally because Ari wants to see how his mom will react to it. One humorous use is in the word ba***rd, as it's in a William Carlos Williams poem that the boys like because they can say a swear word if it's in a poem.  There is underage drinking and purposeful drinking to get drunk, and also one incident of smoking pot and another of a person encouraging Ari to shoot-up heroine (he declines). 

Side Note:  I was fortunate enough to attend the Texas Library Association's 2012 Conference in Houston last year. Mr. Sáenz was on a panel of TAYSHA's authors, and though I had never read any of his works, I was impressed by the tips he gave for encouraging students to write.  He also talked about how life experience influences his works.  Now I see it in action, as he is a professor at UT El Paso, and this book's setting is El Paso and two boys' Mexican-American experiences there.  COOL!