ALICE FLECK’S RECIPES FOR DISASTER by Rachelle Delaney - a cooking-related middle grade mystery with lots of surprises

Why this book?

I’m a big fan of books that involve kids cooking and especially books with cooking competitions! I was hooked right from the beginning, since Alice didn’t want to be part of a Victorian-themed cooking show (what would her friends think?) Even worse, she was entered in this contest by her dad’s new girlfriend Hana, without being asked first. Lucky for us readers, Alice agrees to participate and we get to read about Alice and her historian dad working together to bake in the contest. There are even more plot twists when her favourite "Culinary Chronicles" cooking show is renamed "Culinary Combat" with a whole new approach. And then it becomes clear that someone is sabotaging the contestants! Alice meets some sweet new friends and they work together to solve the mystery of the saboteur, while she comes to terms with her dad’s new relationship, and discovers how to be herself.  

Jacket Art: Morgan Goble

Connections: reality shows, mysteries, cooking, friendships

Activity Ideas:

Literacy – Create your own “mystery” by choosing a popular recipe and inventing clues to reveal 4 or 5 of the ingredients. Can your friends guess your recipe?

Literacy/Drama – Design and film a commercial for “Culinary Combat” or another reality show you think would be interesting.

Art: Use your imagination and art materials to create your own version of “Peacock Pie.”

 

A bookformercial for the book by Tundra Books: 

 

Additional Resources:

Rachelle Delaney, the author, has lots of resources with her research materials on her website HERE.

A book club discussion guide from Kawartha Lakes Library can be found here.

Other cooking-related books students might enjoy:

The Doughnut King by Jessie Janowitz 

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman

Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter by Carmella Van Vleet

Description from the publisher:   

Alice Fleck's father is a culinary historian, and for as long as she can remember, she's been helping him recreate meals from the past — a hobby she prefers to keep secret from kids her age. But when her father's new girlfriend enters them into a cooking competition at a Victorian festival, Alice finds herself and her hobby thrust into the spotlight.
     And that's just the first of many surprises awaiting her. On arriving at the festival, Alice learns that she and her father are actually contestants on Culinary Combat, a new reality TV show hosted by Tom Truffleman, the most famous and fierce judge on TV! And to make matters worse, she begins to suspect that someone is at work behind the scenes, sabotaging the competition.
     It's up to Alice, with the help of a few new friends, to find the saboteur before the entire competition is ruined, all the while tackling some of the hardest cooking challenges of her life . . . for the whole world to see.

Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney was published by Tundra Books/Puffin Canada in 2021. Visit the publisher’s page to listen to an audio clip of the e-book version here.

 

To find more middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, organized by Greg Pattridge over at his blog.

SUMMER OF A THOUSAND PIES by Margaret Dilloway – A story about trust and pie

I love baking and eating pie, so I found this one especially interesting (bonus recipes at the back to try, too). I read this one as an e-book from my local library.

Description from the publisher

When Cady Bennett is sent to live with the aunt she didn’t even know she had in the quaint mountain town of Julian, she isn’t sure what to expect. Cady isn’t used to stability, after growing up homeless in San Diego with her dad.

Now she’s staying in her mother’s old room, exploring the countryside filled with apple orchards and pie shops, making friends, and working in Aunt Shell’s own pie shop—and soon, Cady starts to feel like she belongs.

Then she finds out that Aunt Shell’s shop is failing. Saving the business and protecting the first place she’s ever really felt safe will take everything she's learned and the help of all her new friends. But are there some things even the perfect pie just can’t fix?

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway was published by Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins in 2019.

Why you want to read this book:

I loved how Cady’s willingness to try new things and learn develops as she begins to feel at home and trust her aunt. There are some emotional scenes at the beginning when she’s acting tough and stubborn. There are several interesting characters she meets as she gets to know people in the town, and I loved her creative plans for saving the pie shop! A fun read, especially if you like baking or baking shows!

My favorite part is combining everything. How it mixes and becomes something new.

Opening:

I open my eyes, expecting to see the inside of our van, Dad snoring next to me like a half-broken engine.  But I’m in a small bedroom covered in bright posters.  

If you’re a writer…

You might enjoy studying this novel to see how the author wove in issues such as immigration, homelessness and financial hardship. I really loved all the details she included about baking!

The tears that I’ve been crushing down for three days come to a full boil. “I’m not that hungry,” I say in a choked voice.

                                   

If you’re an educator…

Cady stands up for what she believes in, although sometimes she could use a little more tact! There are a lots of connections to issues in this story, and the fact that Cady is not able to live with her dad will be interesting to students.

“Well, a lot of things look complicated when they’re done, and they are complicated—but you have to remember every single project gets broken down into a bunch of smaller steps.”

Check out this review from Madison’s Library for another perspective on this book! 

If you’re looking for more delicious middle grade books to dig into, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.