Philadelphia! Read online

  Dedicated to mom and daughter adventures.

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Penguin Young Readers Group

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Text copyright © 2016 by GDL Foods, Inc. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Francesca Gambatesa. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Library of Congress Cataloging–in–Publication Data is available.

  eBook ISBN 9780451532954

  Version_1

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  A Note from Giada

  Recipes

  Alfie sighed and pulled at a loose string on his bedspread. His sister, Emilia, sat next to him with her arms crossed. She sighed, too. Their great-aunt Zia Donatella laughed.

  “Such facce tristi,” Zia said in Italian. “Such sad faces!”

  “Do you really have to go?” Alfie asked as Zia packed her suitcase.

  “Yeah,” Emilia added. “Can’t you stay just a little bit longer?”

  Zia smiled and sat down beside them on Alfie’s bed. “I’m meeting friends in Oslo in a few days. I can’t disappoint them, either!”

  “That’s in Norway, right?” Emilia asked.

  “Yes!” Alfie answered before Zia had a chance. “It’s the capital of Norway.”

  Alfie and Emilia had known for a while that Zia’s stay with the Bertolizzi family was coming to an end, but it didn’t make her leaving any easier. After all, Zia had traveled the world a few times over. She’d visited places as far and wide as Morocco, Russia, and Argentina! Staying with Alfie, Emilia, and their parents was probably the longest Zia had lived in one place in quite a while.

  Alfie looked at all the maps that hung on the walls of his bedroom. Having Zia around and hearing her travel stories made Alfie love geography even more. He also realized how little time he’d actually spent in his room since Zia had been their guest.

  “Won’t it be nice to have your bedroom back?” Zia asked, as if reading his mind.

  Alfie shrugged. “It will. But I’d be happy to let you keep it if it meant you were staying longer.” He’d grown used to the lumpy pullout sofa in the office. It didn’t really bother him anymore.

  “Or you could stay in my room for a while!” Emilia jumped in. “I wouldn’t mind.”

  Alfie raised an eyebrow. Now that Emilia was thirteen, she spent more time in her bedroom than ever. It was hard for Alfie to imagine her giving that up.

  Zia laughed again and touched the brightly colored stone necklace she always wore. “You’re both very sweet. Maybe next time I’ll stay in your room, Emilia.”

  Alfie perked up at the thought of Zia being their guest again. He got up and walked over to the big world map tacked to his wall. He looked at all the places they’d visited since Zia came to stay: Naples, Italy; Paris, France; Hong Kong, China; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and New Orleans, Maui, and Miami in the United States.

  Alfie turned to Emilia and grinned. “Look at all the places we’ve gone!”

  Emilia jumped up and joined him at the map. “We’ve actually been around the world.”

  Not only was Zia a first-class world traveler herself, but she had turned Alfie and Emilia into seasoned travelers as well—all thanks to a little magic.

  Zia rolled up a pair of jeans and placed them in her almost-full suitcase. “I don’t know what you two are talking about,” she said with a smile. “But I do know that someone will be twelve in a couple of days!”

  Alfie beamed. He couldn’t wait for his birthday. And he was so glad Zia would still be there to celebrate with them. “That’s right,” he said. “You know what would be a great birthday present, Zia?”

  “What, ragazzo?”

  “You staying with us longer!” Alfie replied.

  “Yes!” Emilia chimed in.

  Zia smiled, closed her suitcase, and zipped up the side. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go make a snack. Good food makes everything better.”

  Alfie and Emilia had a hard time arguing with that. They raced out of the room and followed Zia down to the kitchen.

  The next morning at breakfast, Alfie walked into the kitchen and found his parents rushing around as usual. Emilia sat at the table eating her scrambled eggs with her head stuck in a history book. Emilia was passionate about history in the same way that Alfie loved geography. Alfie poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to Emilia.

  Just then, Zia breezed into the room. She stopped short and looked at Mom and Dad. “You two look exhausted!” she said.

  Alfie looked up and saw that Mom’s shirt was wrinkled on one side, and Dad was yawning. Zia was right: They looked frazzled, tired, and worn-out.

  “Big project at work,” Mom said, taking a bite of toast while she tried to smooth out her shirt. “I was up half the night.”

  “And I’ve got a very important meeting first thing this morning,” Dad added. “Clients are flying in from New York.”

  Zia sighed. “You both really need a break. You’ve been working nonstop for months!”

  “Yeah, Mom and Dad,” Emilia agreed, looking up from her book. “We’ve barely even seen you.”

  Alfie nodded. Mom and Dad were always busy, but lately it had reached a crazy point.

  Dad kissed Emilia on top of her head. “We’ll be home for dinner tonight. I promise.”

  “Yes, we’ll see you tonight!” Mom said with a tired smile.

  Alfie was about to bring up plans for his birthday party when Dad ruffled Alfie’s hair and grabbed his briefcase. “See you tonight, champ!” he said as he headed for the garage.

  Mom trailed right behind, balancing her bag and travel coffee mug. “Have a good day!” she called back.

  Alfie, Emilia, and Zia stared at one another. It felt like a tornado had just blown through the kitchen.

  “What are we going to do?” Alfie asked.

  “I don’t know.” Emilia shook her head. “They barely even sleep anymore. It’s crazy!”

  Zia poured herself a cup of coffee. “I have an idea,” she said. “We’ll make a special dinner tonight and talk to them about finally starting to plan that family trip they’ve been dreaming about. I think if the three of us band together, we might be able to convince them.”

  “Good idea!” Alfie said. “We’ve been talking about that for ages.”

  Emilia nodded. “I guess I stopped thinking
about it since Alfie and I have traveled so much on our own lately. But you’re right, it’s definitely time!”

  Alfie laughed. “Where should we go with Mom and Dad?”

  “Norway sounds interesting,” Emilia joked. “Mind if we tag along on your trip, Zia?”

  Zia laughed.

  “Do you like visiting Norway?” Emilia asked.

  “Believe it or not,” Zia said, “this will actually be my first time going. I’m really looking forward to it, and I’ll let you know all the details.”

  “How about some place in the United States, like San Francisco?” Alfie chimed in. “Didn’t you say you’ve always wanted to visit there, too?”

  “Yes, I have! And I know your parents would like that. There are plenty of cities in the United States they still haven’t visited.”

  “We could take a ferry to Alcatraz and ride the cable cars!” Emilia said.

  “And eat burritos!” Alfie added.

  “Or what about Boston?” Emilia said. “There’s so much history there. The American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s house . . .”

  “Boston definitely has plenty of history!” Zia agreed.

  Alfie flopped back in his chair. “There are so many cool places. How are we supposed to choose just one?”

  Zia laughed as she put away the breakfast dishes. Alfie and Emilia stood up to help. “We’ll talk more about it tonight,” Zia said. “In the meantime, you two should brush your teeth and get ready for school. I don’t want you to be late!”

  “Okay,” Alfie and Emilia replied. They hurried to get ready for their day, but Alfie couldn’t stop thinking about where they might go. There was Seattle, New York City, Chicago . . . and that was just in the United States! It was exciting to think about a new trip as a family. He just hoped Mom and Dad could finally stop working long enough to plan something.

  Alfie and Emilia went straight to the kitchen when they got home from school, following the telltale sounds and smells of Zia preparing a meal. Ingredients were spread all over the counter: fresh spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes. A pot of water was boiling on the stove. “Ciao, bambini! How was practice?”

  “It was good,” Alfie and Emilia replied together. Alfie had band practice while Emilia had dance team.

  “We went over my solo for the end-of-the-year concert,” Alfie said proudly. “We’re working on a new song that’s kind of hard, but I really like it.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Zia responded. “Are you going to play this song with your other band, too?”

  “I hope so!” Alfie smiled. Since he had done such a great job in the spring concert, Alfie’s band teacher, Mr. Erikson, asked him to join a special school band. They’d already performed at the mall, a senior center, and even an animal shelter adoption event.

  “And what about you?” Zia asked Emilia. “How was dance?”

  “Great!” Emilia said as she popped a tomato slice into her mouth. “I’ve been teaching the other girls on my squad some of the salsa moves I learned in Miami. It’s been so fun!”

  “Ben fatto! Well done,” Zia said.

  “What are we making for dinner?” Alfie asked.

  “I thought we’d make a veggie lasagna tonight.”

  Alfie’s stomach rumbled at the thought of it. “Yes!” he cheered. “What can we do to help?”

  “I think I’ve got the lasagna under control. Why don’t you two work on a salad and some garlic bread?”

  “Sounds good!” Emilia said as she pulled a big salad bowl out from under the counter.

  They talked as they worked and cleaned up along the way. After all the cooking they’d done together, Alfie, Emilia, and Zia had become an all-star team in the kitchen. Before long, Zia was pulling the bubbling, delicious lasagna from the oven. Emilia put the toasted garlic bread in a basket, and Alfie made a dressing for the salad.

  “Oh, that smells delicious!” Mom said, coming in from the garage.

  “It sure does,” Dad added. “I’m starving!”

  They set their briefcases in the hall and joined Alfie, Emilia, and Zia at the dining-room table.

  “Thank you so much for making this,” Mom said. “It looks like it was a lot of work.”

  “Zia did most of it,” Alfie said.

  “Nonsense!” Zia replied. “It was absolutely a team effort.”

  Everybody took a seat at the table and began to dig into the meal.

  “How was work?” Emilia asked.

  “Oh, it was fine,” Mom said, waving her hand. “But let’s not talk about work anymore today. I want to hear where Zia is planning to go on her travels.”

  Zia smiled. “Well, the first stop—right after Alfie’s birthday party, of course—is Norway. And then it’s on to Sweden and Denmark. I’m meeting a chef in Copenhagen who’s doing some really innovative things there with local ingredients.”

  “That sounds fantastic,” Dad said, blowing on a forkful of lasagna before popping it into his mouth.

  “What about after that, Zia?” Alfie asked. “Will you come back here?”

  Zia laughed and squeezed Alfie’s arm. “Not right away. I haven’t made any firm plans after Copenhagen yet, but it’s been a while since I’ve visited Naples, and my friends there are begging me to come for the Festa di Pizza.”

  “Hey! That’s where we—” Alfie started before noticing the curious looks from Mom and Dad. “I mean . . . we talked about that last year.”

  “That’s right,” Zia said, hiding a smile. “We did talk about the Festa di Pizza when I first came to stay.”

  “Well, that sounds like a wonderful idea,” Mom said. “I haven’t been to the Festa di Pizza since I was a little girl. Oh, kids, you really should see it—and taste it! Naples has the best pizza in the world!”

  Alfie and Emilia smiled and nodded knowingly. Zia gave them a sly wink.

  “So, Alfie,” Dad jumped in. “You still haven’t told us what you want for your birthday.”

  Alfie scooped a big hunk of garlic bread into his mouth and shrugged. He chewed quickly. “I guess I haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “Well, you’d better think hard. It’s almost time for your party!” Mom said.

  “I’ll keep you posted!” Alfie joked.

  After the last of the lasagna had been eaten, Zia stood up from the table and began to clear away the dishes. Mom and Dad started to stand, too. “No, no.” Zia put her hand out. “You just relax.”

  “We’ll help, Zia,” Emilia said.

  “Yeah,” Alfie agreed, standing up and grabbing the empty salad bowl.

  “Thank you,” Dad said. “What a nice surprise this dinner was.”

  As Alfie and Emilia cleared the plates and filled the dishwasher, Zia began to busy herself by pulling new ingredients from the cupboards. She put six eggs, butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and a small bottle of anise extract on the counter.

  “Don’t tell me you’re cooking something else, Donatella?” Dad looked at Zia with wide eyes.

  “I still haven’t made my famous pizzelles since I’ve been here. I thought they would be a nice treat tonight.”

  “Oh, pizzelles!” Mom’s face lit up. “We haven’t had those in ages!”

  “What are they?” Alfie asked.

  “They are traditional Italian waffle cookies,” Zia said.

  “In Italy we used to make them at Christmastime, for birthdays, for weddings . . . for all special occasions, really,” Mom added, excitement rising in her voice.

  “Arianna, where do you keep your iron?” Zia asked Mom.

  “It’s in the laundry room,” Alfie chimed in.

  Zia and Mom laughed. “Not that iron,” Mom said, getting up from the table. She walked over to the cupboard above the fridge and stood on her tiptoes to reach inside. She pulled out something that looke
d like a small waffle iron. “This is a pizzelle iron.” Mom lifted the handle and showed Alfie and Emilia the inside. There were four small circles, two on the handle side and two on the base. One side had a waffle pattern and the other had a pattern that looked like a flower or a snowflake.

  “Cool!” Alfie said.

  Zia placed some butter in a pan on the stovetop. As it melted, she started cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.

  “I want to help!” Emilia said.

  “Me too!” Alfie added.

  Dad stood up from the table. “Let’s all help!” he said.

  “Bene! How nice!” Zia smiled. “Emilia, you finish adding the eggs and beat them together. Alfie, measure out one and a half cups of sugar. When Emilia’s eggs are beaten, you can slowly add the sugar as she stirs.”

  “Mauricio and I will sift together the flour and the baking powder,” Mom said. “How many cups of flour, Zia?”

  “Three and a half cups of flour and four teaspoons of baking powder, please,” Zia replied.

  Once the eggs and sugar were mixed together, Zia took the butter off the stovetop to let it cool. Then she slowly added it to the mixture along with two tablespoons of the anise extract.

  “What does anise taste like?” Emilia asked.

  “It has a little bit of a licorice-type flavor,” Zia replied.

  “Mmmmm,” Alfie said. He loved licorice!

  Next, Mom and Dad mixed the sifted flour and baking powder with the rest of the ingredients while Zia plugged in the iron.

  “Now we drop tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the center of the iron,” Zia said. “You can grab the dough with your hands if you want to.”

  Alfie dug right into the bowl of dough. When he pulled out his hand, it was covered with the sticky mixture. He held his hand in the air. “It looks like I’m wearing a baseball mitt,” he said.

  Everybody laughed. “A baseball mitt made of cookie dough!” Emilia said.

  Alfie scraped most of the dough back into the bowl and rolled the rest into a small ball in his palm.