Adventures with family, friendship, fame, and pizza.Luca Salvatore loves his Italian American family's pizza shop, which is in financial crisis. He's sure that if he can get them featured on his favorite reality show, "Pizza Perfect," the attention will save the restaurant-and his parents' rapidly deteriorating marriage. But that's not all on Luca's plate. His younger twin siblings are a handful at the best of times, and their behavior escalates once Pop moves out. Luca has an all-consuming crush on Will White, a new boy at school who "looks like he might be Asian," while trying to conceal his feelings from his spotlight-stealing best friend, June Mason, who's cued white. Despite a formulaic plot and prose that's overloaded with food metaphors (body like a stock pot, anxiety like uncooked calamari, bones like breadsticks) and frequent interjections of "mamma mia" and "Madone," the tension is unrelenting. A preternaturally talented chef, Luca whips up uncommon pizza varieties like chicken piccata and arancini. Most major plot elements are resolved via heartful conversations that sometimes ring overly mature for the tweens involved. Other side issues, like Ma's involvement in a multilevel marketing scheme, June's role in a musical, Will's band troubles, and Luca's unsupportive grandmother, mix together like a lot of extra toppings.Awfully cheesy and a little doughy but also satisfying. (Fiction. 9-12)

Gr 4–7— Leali's ( The Civil War of Amos Abernathy ) latest is a tasty, slice-of-life story of family, friendship, and pizza. Twelve-year-old Luca works in his Italian American family's third-generation Chicago pizzeria. With his parents separating, the business failing, and a feeling that he's the only one who can save it all, Luca submits an application for Mamma Gianna's to be featured on Pizza Perfect starring his chef-idol, Travis Parker. At the same time, Luca also has to navigate the intersection of a long-term friendship with June and a budding maybe-more-than-friendship with Will. This novel uses the metaphor of shapes throughout. Luca describes himself as not feeling like a "whole shape" when things are out of his control. As relationships fracture and the pressure mounts, Luca will eventually have to reckon with his personal expectations and self-worth. Within this chaos, however, is an endearingly kind-hearted story that encourages readers to chase their dreams, meet their idols, and tell their crushes how they feel. Luca, Travis, and Will are queer, and Candace, a scout for Pizza Perfect , uses she/they pronouns. Outside Luca's immediate family, Leali describes characters with a variety of skin tones and naming conventions. VERDICT An inspiring, culinary treat. Recommended for medium to large collections and any shelf where there are aspiring foodies in the audience.— Taylor Worley