In my quest to read all 24 3rd - 6th grade Alaska Battle of the Books titles, this is one I was kind of dreading. But surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I liked the mystery saboteur element, and the way that the author weaved in true facts about the Victorian period. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Alice loves cooking with her dad, even though they cook strange historical recipes that her classmates don't understand.
Alice does not love that her dad is dating someone. She also doesn't love that the new girlfriend secretly submitted a video of her and her dad cooking to a tv show and now they will be competing on it! Worried that her peers will find out but intrigued to meet the host of the show, she agrees to go. The competition will take place at the Victorian festival that Hana is presenting at in a beautiful manor a few hours away. The whole experience turns into more and more surprises. The show has now changed from a sweet cooking show on a channel no one will see into a vicious competition with the most difficult to please food judge on tv on a channel everyone will see. Every challenge isn't just a food challenge; it seems like things are purposefully going wrong and drama is being created. Can Alice and her new friends Tavi and Henry figure out what is happening? Will Alice ever come to terms with her dad's dating life?

Setting:

Characters:
Alice Fleck -
James - AKA Dad, culinary history professor, sweet, understanding, authentic, gives space to Alice when he thinks she needs it, can read her mind about what she needs and shows up to support her
Hana Holmes - Dad's girlfriend, vegetarian, also a professor of history in the same department as James
Mat Diaz - Alice's best friend at school, loves art and making dioramas and posting on social media
Jasmina - director of the cooking show
Tom Truffleman - notoriously difficult to please chef and cooking show judge, has the power to make changes to the show much to the dismay of Jasmina
Miranda Summers - new host of the show replacing the friendliest host ever, seems to not care too much about the show or the people
Meg - lead videographer
Tavi - AKA Octavia Sapphire, confident in who she is, loves ghosts
Henry - kid at the festival, obsessed with solving mysteries
Richard Sibley-McFinch - owner of Gladstone Manor, built in the 1860s, has Roslyn, a silver whippet dog that wanders around

Recurring Themes: single parent, single parent dating, mystery, Victorian Era, cooking, history, friendship

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: This book has history, drama, and mystery all mixed into one realistic fiction package. The book is well-written with engaging, well-developed characters and intriguing mystery. The relationships seem real. A definite coming-of-age story. There is a lot to talk about at a potential book club.

Genre: realistic fiction, mystery

Pacing: medium
Characters: well-developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

reading level: grades 4-5