All Four Stars by Tara Dairman (review)

Eleven-year-old Gladys Gatsby is a foodie, but her peers and her parents (satisfied with microwave cooking and greasy takeout) are assuredly not. When Gladys accidentally sets the kitchen curtains on fire with her father’s blowtorch while attempting crème brûlée, her parents flat-out forbid her to cook and force her to forgo cooking shows, cookbooks, and “anything else adults do that kids normally don’t.” Luckily, she makes friends with Mr. Eng, the proprietor of a gourmet foods store, with Sandy, the boy next door, and with his mother, who owns a copy of Larousse Gastronomique and is always experimenting with new recipes. When Gladys writes an essay about her desired future career (food critic)—in the form of a professional-sounding cover letter—for a newspaper contest, a mix-up results in the paper’s food editor offering her a temporary assignment. Gladys is thrilled, but the assignment (reviewing a fancy new dessert bistro in New York City) proves difficult to keep secret from her parents, especially when the check comes in the mail. There’s a certain amount of contrivance to Gladys’ situation and to her temporary employment as a food critic, but Dairman sets it all up meticulously and writes with sympathy and humor. Kids who appreciate an underdog—and those who watch the Food Network religiously—will appreciate Gladys’ journey. Expect a lot of cookbook requests from readers of this title.