Recipe for Disaster by Maureen Fergus - ESSENTIAL

Fergus, Maureen, Recipe for Disaster, Kids Can Press. 2009. Pgs. 256. Language: PG(some swearing, but no “f”s), Sexual Content: G, Violence: G.

MS - ESSENTIAL

Francie Freewater’s lifelong dream is to become a celebrity baker. She even owns her own weekend baking business that she runs out of her parents’ café. Before she can achieve her dream, however, she has to survive her freshman year of high school. Everything seems to be going great. She’s got a great best friend and a hunk of a hockey player who seems to be interested in her, until Darlene moves into town. Then all of a sudden, everyone seems to be on a Darlene kick. The guy she likes won’t give her the time of day, her best friend seems to like hanging with Darlene more, and her parents just don’t seem to get her need for a social life. She tries to win a baking contest, she can be the guest assistant on Lorenzo’s show when he comes to her home town, but fails. Things look up, however, when the opportunity to join the Performance Band at her school comes up. If they can make it to the finals of the band festival, she’ll get to do a live taping in the TV studio right by where Lorenzo will be filming his baking show. With the help of a boy who has a major crush on her and her hopefully still best friend, Holly, Francie will try to achieve the impossible: make her way onto Lorenzo’s set, meet Lorenzo, and get her chance to talk about baking with the genius himself. Will Francie get to meet her role model? Will Darlene succeed in ruining Francie’s life?

A light-hearted, enjoyable story that keeps the reader entertained from cover to cover. Readers will relate well to the family and school predicaments in which Francie gets involved. Readers who like realistic fiction, relationship stories, and humorous books will enjoy reading this book.

. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, HUN Public Library