Review: The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaeffer

The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaeffer is a sweet and delightful story about friendship, family and the bittersweet reality of how life can change and bring about the sweetness in life. After reading many wonderful reviews about this Young Adult novel I knew that it was one that I had to read. First of all, I love tea and even have a collection of teacups and teapots from England and Germany. Secondly, the cover art is absolutely adorable and the young girl has red curly hair and as I am a redhead she looks like she could be my own daughter (I have a son and he doesn't have red hair!). This is definitely the kind of book that I would have loved to read if I was a young girl. I enjoyed it just as much reading it as an adult.

This is a charming story of a girl named Annie and her friends Zoe and Genna who call themselves the "Teashop Girls". They grew up hanging out at Annie's grandmothers teashop. They even set their own rules.

The Official Rules of the Teashop Girls:

1. Teashop girls are best friends forever.

2. Tea is held every week, no matter what.

3. All tea and scones must be split equally at all times.

As they get older and become teens in middle school, they become less interested in the teashop and the teashop is struggling against a local coffee shop and is losing business. Annie's grandmother has told her that she may have to close the teashop. Annie and her friends then come up with plans to save the teashop. There are many humorous encounters and challenges to their friendships as well as a few boy crushes along the way. The girls learn a lot about friendship and loyalty.

The story told in The Teashop Girls is a quaint, heartwarming story geared towards children 8-14 and I believe that it is a story that every young girl would adore. I highly recommend The Teashop Girls for young girls and adults as well, you'll be glad that you read this book. I loved the extra features and tidbits related to tea that made the book that much more special to read and enjoy. There were reproductions of ads for tea, recipes, lists, short stories, information on the history of tea, beauty tips and drawings. Each chapter had a sketch drawing of something related to tea such as a slice of cake, a tea cup, a teapot and a quote related to tea. One of the quotes that I enjoyed was this one:

"You can't get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me"

-C.S. Lewis

Make sure to check out these fun things related to The Teashop Girls:


Read a sample chapter from The Teashop Girls complete with Sujean Rim's gorgeous illustrations, here at the official website of The Teashop Girls.


Check out The Teashop Girls Website


Check out The Teashop Girls Blog