5^th Grade and Up

WARNING: This story will have you craving cookies!

Laila gave Lucy a cupcake on the second day of kindergarten, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. But the summer before eighth grade, they find out that since they live on opposite sides of town, they’ll go to different high schools.
Then Laila’s invited to compete at the Golden Cookie competition, which awards its winner admission and a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, and it’s the perfect opportunity. Sunderland doesn’t just have an elite culinary program; it’s also home to an elite journalism track, if only newscaster-hopeful Lucy could build up a strong enough portfolio to impress the scholarship committee.
But when Chef Remi, one of the celebrity judges, collapses after sampling Laila’s showpiece, rumors of foul play swirl, with Laila rising to the top of the suspect list. Even worse, a major storm has effectively cut off all access to the outside world.

I got the biggest cookie craving reading this book, so I whipped up a batch of potato chip cookies. They’re chocolate chip cookies with crushed potato chips in them—salty and sweet!

To be clear, Laila is the one on the left with the whisk, and Lucy is the one on the right with the notebook.

Laila reminded me of Mila from Tracy Badua’s other book, The Takeout. Both girls love food and can pick out all the ingredients from the food they eat.

I think Chef Remi was inspired by Gordan Ramsey. Except Ramsay is much nicer than Chef Remi. When Ramsey yells at someone, it’s usually because they are doing something stupid with food. Chef Remi was actively trying to crush the young competitor’s confidence. I kept thinking, “You proud of yourself, dude. Making middle schoolers cry?”

It’s clear from the beginning that everyone is hiding something; the question is, what? The suspense of who tried to off Chef Remi drove me crazy. There is nothing like competition to bring out the drama.

Overall, this is the perfect book for fans of baking shows and mysteries.