The Summer I Ate the Rich coming April 22nd, 2025 from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; 400 pages
Content Warning: Cannibalism, death, chronic illness, car accident
About the Author: “Maika Moulite is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Her acclaimed young adult novels frequently explore themes of identity, family, and vengeance. Her work has been featured on the TODAY Show and Essence Magazine. Maika is also a doctoral student at Howard University, exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, culture, and media. She’s the eldest of four sisters and, when she’s not writing, loves listening to audiobooks, dancing and singing at the top of her lungs, and journaling (which actually means… more writing)” (Bio from author’s website).
About the Author: “Maritza Moulite graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. Her work often examines the lives of marginalized people and revenge, and has been featured on NPR and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Maritza’s favorite roles have been Head Start literacy tutor and pre-k teacher assistant. She is now a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy through children’s media. She clearly couldn’t get enough of school. Her favorite song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite on the following platforms:
Brielle Petitfour, a teenage Haitian American zombie, is passionate about cooking. Though, as the daughter of an immigrant, she’s familiar with the expectations of finding a respectable career. It’s challenging to balance being a chef with her familial duties and supporting her mother, especially in light of their struggling financial situation. Currently, they both work on Hunter Island, home to the affluent “top of the food chain.” Brielle’s mother, in particular, serves the Banks, a billionaire family that created one of the largest health conglomerates in the world: Banks Corps. When Brielle is compelled to accept a summer fellowship at Banks Corps and establishes her supper club business on the side to entice the wealthy, she infiltrates the sphere of the privileged few to exact revenge. Using her zombie powers, the wealthy succumb to Brielle’s influence through her mouth-watering dishes. While she loves cooking, it’s not only love that makes her dishes so appetizing, but also a secret ingredient: human flesh.
While people typically imagine the mindless zombies of American pop culture, what’s more horrifying is the original mythology, the Haitian zonbi, a creature of unending servitude derived from the fear of becoming enslaved. In The Summer I Ate the Rich, the authors utilize the zombie’s supernatural horror to analyze reality’s horror: the struggles of the immigrant experience, socioeconomic inequalities, corrupt health care, and labor in America. With Brielle’s perspective on these themes, I grew to love her character. Her narration can be darkly humorous, and her inhuman hunger, compassionate anger in confronting injustice, and difficulty expressing emotions make her compelling. As a fan of Greek mythology, I found “the Muses’” chorus in the novel’s interludes especially intriguing. During these intermissions, Brielle’s sisters in Haiti discuss what’s happening in the narrative. This narrative framing added interesting layers to the story’s complexity. Similarly, I enjoyed the bonds in this story, like those between Brielle and her mother, sisters, best friend, and even her surprising love interest. While imperfect, these meaningful relationships brought out the human in Brielle and nicely contrasted her disturbing, manipulative qualities. Still, some parts confused me while I was reading. Despite the title, Brielle doesn’t eat the rich. Only the wealthy clientele of her supper club events unknowingly eat human parts. Also, Brielle’s zombie powers were somewhat puzzling, given the few explanations. Even so, the book’s sharp social commentary outshined its flaws, and I was satisfied by the end.
The Summer I Ate the Rich releases on April 22nd, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Danielle Hartshorn, Pine Reads Review Writer and Editor