Food Choices

Gr 7—10—In a conversational tone, Brancato talks about what, how, why, where, and when teens eat. Chapter headings include: "What Kind of Eater Are You?," "What Does Your Body Need?," "The Great Weight Debate," "How Safe Is the Food You Eat?," "School Food," "Eating Out," "Eating around the World," and "The Future of Food." Although the breadth of the topics is wide, the information is superficial, and sometimes opinion is stated as fact. Throughout the text, vignettes and photos give young people's views on food-related issues. These sidebars and pictures break up the text and add immediacy to the presentation but offer little in the way of solid information. Topics that might constitute a volume of their own, such as genetically modified food, are discussed in a paragraph and conclude with sentences like, "Because the idea of fooling around with genes makes a lot of people nervous, developments in this area will probably be gradual." Copious bibliographic notes accompany each chapter.—Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY