I find time travel books confusing, and this one was no exception, but I wish the author had a website with all the recipes for the food mentioned in this book. My mouth was watering the whole time from her descriptions of the dishes the characters cooked together.
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This starts out as a cute little story about a girl getting to know her grandmother (who has Alzheimer's) by way of trips into her memories, and ends up being deeper than I had expected it to be. There are some twists I anticipated, and some I did not. In one rare twist, I actually liked all of the characters. The "villain" of this story is circumstance rather than a person, and so I was able to connect with all the characters to one degree or another.

The audiobook narration is great, and though I had to Google the Korean dishes being mentioned that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. I don't think I've had any of the actual Korean food mentioned (except of course kimchi) but it all sounded so good. I would highly recommend having a snack on hand while you listen to this audiobook. ( )

Series Info/Source: I got this as a free Audible Originals audiobook through my Audible account. This is a stand alone book.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): This audiobook was very well done and pleasant to listen to. I have no complaints. I would recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

Story (4/5): Maya’s mom is increasingly busy with work which leaves Maya alone a lot of the time with her grandmother Halmunee (who has Alzheimer’s). Maya’s grandmother loves to teach Maya about traditional Korean cooking and...time traveling. When Maya learns that she also had these time traveling powers she is determined to learn more about both her powers and her absent father.

Characters (4/5): I really enjoyed all of the characters in here. Maya and her mother are trying so hard to make everything work. Halmunee is trying to teach Maya how to be a good person in her own way despite struggling with Alzheimer’s. This is a book full of good and kind characters and I enjoyed it.

Setting (4/5): I loved all the time traveling back to traditional Korean settings. It was interesting to learn about Korean culture and to watch Maya learn about her larger Korean family.

Writing Style (4/5): This was a neat idea and the whole thing was very well put together and easy to read. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. I did think some of the time travel elements and twists towards the end of the book got a bit muddled.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and, as a free audiobook from Audible Escapes, it's one I am happy I listened to. I liked learning about Korean culture and thought that the time traveling power was unique and interesting. This is a great “family” book and includes some adventure, an excellent mystery and a lot of good messages about family. ( )

Finished this excellent time-traveling story aimed at preteens. Strongly recommended for adults as well. An 11-year-old Korean girl starts traveling back in time with her grandmother, learning about her family and family history, uncovering astounding secrets and mysteries. A deep thinking book reminding me of how I felt reading A Wrinkle in Time at a young age. And significant time and thought is given to making Korean food in loving detail. ( )

Maya and her grandmother cook family recipes together. Her grandmother shows her that the women in their family have the gift of time travel through food. When Maya's grandmother -- and eventually Maya -- cook a food that is connected to a strong memory for them, they are able to travel back in time to that memory. They can not interact with the people or change anything. Maya's grandmother cautions her against traveling forward in time because there are multiple potential futures and people have become lost in time. Maya befriends another time traveller in one of her grandmother'e memories. He shows her time travel techniques that her grandmother doesn't know. He also shows her the Golden Orchard where everyone has a tree that contains their memories.
This was cute. Recommended for those who like time travel and/or food. ( )