I should explain that I read this book after having read Samuelsson's very similar memoir aimed at adults. I was curious to see if this would be something I'd be interested in trying to get my kids to read. There was a heavy focus on many details of Samuelsson's work in several kitchens. It seems those details might only be engaging to a narrow group of teens - those already interested in or knowledgeable about the cultinary world. The thing that made "Yes, Chef" so charming was the emphasis on food as a connection to one's personal history and food as a means to learn about culture and bring people from various cultures together. This book did not hit on that as much. It also left out everything about Samuelsson meeting his current wife and finding his biological family in Ethiopia. These were elements that may have made the book more personally interesting to teens. There were some photos of his biological father and his wife, so it does pique the reader's interest in something they never learn about. At times, the book felt unevenly paced, and occasionally the author mentions something that he hasn't yet talked about as if the reader should understand what he means. This made it feel like a not very carefully examined edit of "Yes, Chef." Finally, Samuelsson chooses to mention that at 19 years of age he got a girl pregnant and that his father agreed to support the child financially until Samuelsson himself was on his feet financially. The child, a girl, is born, and then we NEVER HEAR ABOUT HER AGAIN. This, in my mind, is the biggest flaw of the book. Either don't mention it or talk more about it - how it affected him over the years and how he fulfilled his responsibility to this child. I won't be giving this one to my kids. ( )

An interesting account of Chef Marcus Samuelsson's' unlikely rise to "great chefs of the world" fame. His journey was anything but typical. Chef Samuelsson has performed every kitchen job imaginable in his quest to fulfill a lifelong passion for cooking. However, he started out wanting to be a professional soccer player. Follow along as he moves from job to job until he lands a restaurant kitchen of his own. Fun, 8 page photo insert included. ( )