Staff Review: "All Four Stars" by Tara Dairman

Sometimes children turn out just like their parents. Sometimes they don't, and it can be a little puzzling. Sometimes a child is so different from their parents that it can be painful. But sometimes it makes a really great story, like in Tara Dairman's "All Four Stars." 

Gladys Gatsby loves food. She loves to eat it. She loves to cook it. She loves to write about it. Gladys doesn't like just any food, either. She loves gourmet food. Unfortunately, her parents don’t cook, or cook badly, and they don’t trust Gladys in the kitchen. So Gladys cooks on the sly, and one day her cover is blown (literally!) when she sets the kitchen curtains on fire with a blow torch while making crème brulee.  Banned from the kitchen for six months, Gladys starts to get desperate. When her new sixth-grade teacher enters a cover letter that Gladys wrote to apply for a food critic job into a newspaper writing contest, Gladys’ letter actually ends up on an editor’s desk, and Gladys finds that her future aspirations have arrived already! But how will she get into New York City to visit her assignment when she’s banned from anything food related? By getting creative, of course!

This book is perfect for the enterprising middle grade foodie in your life! Reserve a copy by clicking the link above.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Dewey Discoveries: "Journey of a Bar of Chocolate" by John Malam

When you take a bite out of a chocolate bar, you're thinking how delicious it is.  You probably don't wonder how it came to be sold at the grocery store of vending machine.  That bar of chocolate started out as a cocoa pod and takes around six to eight months for it to be transformed in to chocolate.  After reading "Journey of a Bar of Chocolate" by John Malam, you will appreciate all the work that went into that sweet treat.

Dewey Number: 664.5

-Angie R., Headquarters

"The Great Lollipop Caper" by Dan Krall

Everyone loves the sweet and tasty Mr. Lollipop.  Everyone except the evil Mr. Caper.  His savory flavor is only appealing to adults.  He's sick of it, and he has a plan to make all the children love him.
You can learn more about the book at "The Great Lollipop Caper" website and request a copy from the library on the catalog.  This looks like a fun read for picky eaters or any junior foodies.  Recommended for ages 4-8.

--Angie R., HQ

Back to School Lunch Box

Did you know that the T on your BLT started off as a “bitter berry growing wild on bushes on the dry west coast of South America” and thanks to the Aztecs we now have sweet tomatoes for our sandwich? Or that the watermelon your mother cut up for you originated in Africa’s Kalahari Desert? "The World in Your Lunch Box:The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods" by Claire Eamer looks at the history and science of a week’s worth of lunches. 

Cartoon illustrations, jokes, a little science and a little history make up this lighthearted look at lunch. The author included her Top 10 Favorite, Fantastic, and Fun Food Facts which are interesting and enjoyable.  Did you know that Kazakhstan former capital city Almaty means “the Father of Apples”?  That the ancestors of our apples grew in the mountains of Kazakhstan between Europe and Asia. All the facts and science make this book yummy nonfiction reading.  

--Robbin O., Headquarters