Watch a little too much Food Network in your house? Kid wants to be a chef? These might be right up your alley!
Neil Flambe and the Crusader’s Curse
by Kevin Sylvester
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978 1 4424 4286 3
This is the third book in the adventures of Neil Flambe, the boy wonder of the culinary world – the first was one of the Silver Birch nominees that I reviewed here last year. I loved it. I missed the second one, too buried in teen books to grab it, but have caught up with the third, and am happy to say that missing one didn’t mean any trouble in following this story, though references were made and now I want to read it (of course).
This time, Neil has opened his new restaurant at great expense, only to have things start going disastrously wrong, one after another. We get interspersed chapters that make it clear his family is cursed, but it takes him and his friends a while to figure out what is going on, and even longer to get the the root of it – a rival family that has been creating the Flambes’ “bad luck” for centuries.
The book is full of humour and action and culminates in a showdown that is more worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster than a culinary adventure, but it all works together somehow, like some kind of hilarious, fast-paced stew. These are a great read for a sophisticated kid in your circle.
Book 4 – Neil Flambe and the Tokyo Treasure – has also just come out. Must go read it.
The French Fry King
by Roge
Tundra Books
ISBN: 978 1 77049 350 6
Roger the dog is no ordinary dog. No, he’s a dog full of ideas, and one day, when he happened upon some potatoes, his idea was to open up the best french fry stand going, and that is exactly what he did. Soon enough, he is traveling the world, purveying different varieties of fries, until the day that he returned, realizing that his life was feeling a little empty.
As he was wondering what was next, he met Charlotte, the corn queen, who listened to all his stories and served him the best corn he’d ever tasted. Roger fell in love, and the two soon started an all new adventure together.
This story is sweet, and carries some life lessons in it that may be too old for little kids, but make for a great story that parents can also appreciate. The simple paintings add understated flavour, and the whole is a fun story, particularly for fans of street food!