The ice cream theme throughout the book is a fun one. I found myself not only caring deeply about Tess, but also caring about the community that is supporting her. She is brilliant at creating characters we care about. She helps us, as readers, see people for who they are beyond the troubles they have. She does so in a way that makes them very accessible to 9-12 year olds. In this novel, Kent addresses many hard issues that are part of life. Rose Kent does a great job of dealing with hard issues in the context of a middle grade novel. Although everything isn't perfect and the problems Tess faces are big ones, things get better for her and she grows up a bit through the process. Tess finds friends and a place to contribute in school and she eventually gets involved in helping out with 'A Cherry on Top.' And Tess's mother does amazing work to pull together a unique business that brings energy back to the city. She makes great friends in the apartment building-a genuinely caring community who takes in and supports Tess and her family. And the downtown area where Tess's mother has decided to put the ice-cream shop is a run-down part of town which might make it hard to find customers.īut, slowly things start to come together for Tess and her family. Tess is the one who has to do most of the caring for her younger brother, Jordan, who is deaf, while her mother gets the shop ready to open. Tess isn't immediately happy with the apartment that they've rented as it is in a senior citizen building. Lots of obstacles and surprises are in store. But, they make the move and start working on the shop that mom has decided to name, 'A Cherry on Top'.

Tess is worried about the plan and has trouble supporting it at first. Her mother, who has patterns of good and bad days, decides to move the family from Texas to Schenectady, New York to open an ice cream shop. ROCKY ROAD is the story of Tess Dobson and her family. After having read and loved KIMCHI AND CALAMARI, I was so happy to receive a copy of ROCKY ROAD from Random House. I have been anxious for this new book by Rose Kent to be released for a while.

Rocky road by rose kent