Marlana DeMarco Hogan, a retired Italian teacher and the child of Italian immigrants, has completed her new book “Growing Up in the Torrone Zone”: a charming and inviting tale about an Italian family’s favorite holiday custom: making torrone.

Hogan writes, “‘Growing Up in the Torrone Zone’ is a story about a hardworking little boy and the joy he finds while helping his family to make torrone, a traditional Italian candy, for the annual town festival that takes place atop the small mountain town he calls home. Every step is filled with fun and excitement, from going down the mountain to buy the torrone ingredients to preparing the delicious candy treat.”