Saturday 16 July 2022

ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! A Recipe for Trouble.

  by Sarah Todd Taylor;  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Cat Princess©

 


Image ©



Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction! 

But first some local news: As the temperatures soar in my village of Upper Much-Mousing, Mrs Gauze, proprietor of 'Clips & Snips' the village hairdressers, has advised that she is now offering short back, sides, tummy and legs to all sheep in need. She also offers a variety of rinses, and tells me the pink is proving very popular at the moment with younger ewes. It is waterproof, too, which is rather handy, as the local swimming pool has opened its doors to the beleaguered local flock so they can cool down and get some exercise. The 'Baaathing with Sheep' sessions have proved very popular with the not-so-able and learner swimmers in the village too, who have found the sheep make excellent self-propelled swimming aids!

One major downside of this heatwave is that Mrs H refuses to bake. And no baking means no cream for me. So it was with great relief that she announced a cake delivery. Dashing downstairs I was confronted not with a huge pile of cake boxes, but with a rather ordinary looking package. 

"Is that what I think it is, Mrs H, the proof?" I asked, suddenly noticing the small image of a train on the address label.

"I do believe it is, Erin. And as it's nearly eleven o'clock, just in time for midmorning tea! Shall I do the honors opening? Mrs H asked, knowing full well I'd probably just shred the envelope as well as the contents in my eagerness.

Nodding in agreement, I sat back for the big reveal of proof copy of the most hotly anticipated, mouth-watering new book releases of the year!  

 

The most delicious of covers. Image ©


The telephone was taken off the hook, a pot of tea was made, and a new pack of dunkable digestive biscuits were plated up. Fully prepared, we sat down in the cool shade of an old oak tree, and read..... ALICE ÉCLAIR, SPY EXTRAORDINAIRE! A Recipe for Trouble.


 

Final cover for this wonderful adventure. Image ©




Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Recipe for Trouble. by SARAH TODD TAYLOR

 

Cover art by:  BEATRIZ CASTRO

 

Published by:  NOSY CROW


Publication date:  4 AUGUST 2022


Paperback ISBN:  978 183 994 0958

 

Cover price for Paperback £7.99

 

Pages:  272.

 

Age range: Middle Grade (9-12 AND upwards)


Any dogs or cats? Yes, a feline called Casper, who I suspect gets more than his fair share of creme!


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Hannah Prutton & Nosy Crow books for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this much-anticipated book before publication.

 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we like and feel our readers deserve to know about, and that we hope they will enjoy. 

 

 

The plot



From the setting of London for the much-lauded and entertaining 'Max the Detective Cat' series, Sarah Todd Taylor has sailed across the channel to the wonderful city of Paris for the first book in her brand new adventure series, the first of which is titled 'Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Recipe for Trouble'. 

 

We dive straight into the mix on the opening page and meet Alice Éclair, a gifted 13-year-old cake maker, as she puts the finishing touches to an extraordinary and beautiful cake decorated with a replica of the Eiffel Tower. Made from icing, spun sugar, and paper-thin sheets of caramel, it is a mouth-watering joy to behold. Alice's widowed mother is the owner of Paris's famed pâtisserie, Vive Comme L'Éclair, and it is here during the day that she creates too-good-too-eat masterpieces – cakes for Paris's finest hotels and lucky customers. 

 

However, her mother doesn't know that Alice has led a double life over the last year. It started with an anonymous puzzle in an unsigned birthday card, followed by cyphers, treasure hunts and crosswords. Alice initially thought it was her mother having fun, but she soon realised an anonymous person was training her to be a spy. She even received lock picks and skeleton keys. Who the spymaster is, she isn't sure, but she has an idea.


Her training assignments started in earnest when she had to pass a secret note to a woman on a bridge. Now though, her task is more complex and potentially very dangerous. She has to retrieve a microfilm containing secrets stolen by a foreign spy, secrets that she is told will jeopardise France's security! Why a girl for such an important task? Well, who pays attention to a child? Once she has the film, she will finally meet the person behind it all.


Like her baking, Alice is a skilled agent and soon completes the task. But in so doing, she uncovers more than she could have dreamed possible. One thing leads to another, and her trusted spymaster seeds the idea of another mission. It is one Alice feels she can do and wants to do for France. But to complete the task, she has to join France's most luxurious train, The Sapphire Express. But she can't go as a passenger and enrols as a pastry chef!


From here on in, the chase is on, and in true Christie fashion, the plot, like a cake mix, thickens as the train speeds to its destination in Monte Carlo! 


Like the best cinematic and literary adventures, there are plenty of clues and suspects to test a young spy. What Alice lacks in worldly experience, she makes up for in determination and imagination. All good lead characters have an ally or sidekick, and in this adventure, Alice meets a young, cultured teenage girl called Penelope Fulmington. Well-intentioned and bored of the staid company of her father, Penelope soon becomes a useful sleuthing friend.

 

As to red herrings? Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that whilst there are no fish on the menu this time, there is plenty of cake colouring to keep her and her new friend, Penelope, guessing, and the plot steaming along and the mind engaged. I can't say much more than this, except that the sum of the parts I mention is far greater.

 


So, what did we think?

 

The author's style is pleasing, engaging and very easy to read. There is a real sense of person and place. Once I started, I had to carry on.

 

Never once did I feel bogged down in dialogue or description. I can appreciate from my work how challenging it is to achieve this. Great books, like great cakes, require the best ingredients in the right quantities, the best presentation, and above all, a great cook. It is also evident that the author's passion for baking, music, clothes and spy adventures has gone into this story.


If you have read the 'Max the detective Cat' series already, then you will know what I mean here about the author's style. If not, do dip your toe into this younger age group feline adventure series. They are very readable shorter adventures that are thoroughly fun and immersive, like this story.

 

In this latest series, which is geared up for an older MG reader (9-12 upwards), I felt instantly at home in the settings in which we found ourselves. There was always enough magic in the words to paint precisely the right image in the mind. The Sapphire Express, for example, its kitchens, carriages and quarters all resonate as correct as did the cast of passengers/suspects. Even though I have not been to Paris, travelled on luxury trains, or met such people, I felt I had. 

 

The plot is elegant, warming and friendly. And yet, where it had to be, it wasn't afraid to set out consequences and portray betrayal and evil as appropriate to the age range. Pleasingly, Alice is not precocious as so many of the characters in MG books tend to be. As a result, for me, she is more rounded, friendly and thus, more relatable.

 

Scenes of life-threatening daring made us hark back to the best train and thriller movies. It also made us think of authors past, such as Agatha Christie, and to place this unique story alongside the works of contemporary authors such as Robin Stevens, MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman. 


As to cakes, well, as soon as I have finished writing this, I'll be heading off to place an order for meringues and cream, topped with fresh strawberries!



So . . . . 



Crunch time. 


This is a fun, 'toothsome' adventure that is sure to please. The only crunch here would be what cakes to have with your cup of tea as you read this exciting introduction to Alice's world. How Sarah will better this, I do not know. For the readers, I am sure one slice will not be enough. . . 




Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, please do think of your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, and each is just waiting to serve up a treasure of literal magical resource, fun and adventure with a personal touch.

 


Sarah Todd Taylor's WEB page can be found HERE  or type this: https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/


 

Nosy Crow's web page can be found HERE.  or type this: https://nosycrow.com/

 


Beatriz Castro's web page can be found HERE.   or type this:  https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/

 

 

If any publishers wish us to review their books, please do get in touch. Details are listed on our book review page.


 

I shall leave you with a picture of me catching a breeze, and admiring Mrs H's new super-comfy zip-up BILLY© High Tops. There'll be no missing those coming in the dark!






 

Till laters!

ERin

 




16 comments:

  1. This sounds absolutely fantastic and just plain delicious! I need to check out the Max the detective Cat series too!

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    Replies
    1. A great Middle Grade read. I love these books; so much fun for your money and not weighed down in weight! I'm sure all cat lovers will appreciate Max, too.
      Purrs
      ERin

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  2. That sounds llike a furry exciting read, ERin.
    Your selfie is beautiful too, and Mrs H.'s new shoes are definitely eye-catching!

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    Replies
    1. All incredibly good fun for reader and boot wearer alike ;)
      Purrs
      ERin

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  3. Hi Erin, I'll bet you don't need a recipe for trouble. You got that down pat! Those shoes are rather psychedelic. No wonder they're called HIGH tops.

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    Replies
    1. Well, those trouble making days are, ahem, behind me now. Mrs H may say different, but dont believe her ;) The trouble in the book is all good fun though, and great for a weekend/week read. Definitely have tea and cake handy though....
      Purrs
      ERin

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  4. Sounds like a truly intriguing book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whilst kids do get some of the best books, we can share them too, which makes it a win win for me when I review them. Hope the weather your way is being kind to you all and you have a great book for company too.
      Purrs
      ERin

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  5. I love the book! I will order it from my local bookshop and I adore those shoes!!!!

    Mrjorie and Toulouse

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Marjorie and Toulouse. I am sure you'll enjoy the read. Maybe take inspiration and bake a few of your own cakes too!? Mrs H says these Billy zip up shoes are way easier to get to grips with. Way less fun for me as I can't play with the laces ;)

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  6. Well this is very strange! At 9.43pm today I has a load of entries in my Reader from you. The first was February 26th to this one. For some reason I haven't been getting notifications and had assumed you hadn't been posting. I will gradually catch up with the back entries and hope that the problem has resolved itself. In the meantime I am busy melting!
    This sounds like a good book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The mystery of this is beyond me. I got a similar list just the other day, of my own posts no less. Stay cool and safe. Hopefully this heatwave is over come Wednesday. Enjoy all the books, they are quite fun reads.
      ERin

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  7. That sounds really good sweet Princess and your photo is wonderful!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Brian. Lots of action and fun, plus who doesnt like cake!? :)
      ERin

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  8. Dear Princess Erin and Mrs. H.

    We are so sorry we have not visited for quite some time -- your new posts stopped appearing in our reader, and we had no idea you had been posting this whole time.They just started appearing again. so here we are. While we are glad to see you again, we feel bad that we missed so many of your posts. (It sounds like it was the same issue as Angels Eric and Flynn's Mum Jackie had.)

    We love your photo today, Princess. And that book sure does sound like fun.

    Hugs to you both!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it seems the feed thingy has been doing its best to make things awkward, for me too. Glad to see you, and I hope you get to enjoy reading some of those MG books I shared.
      Purrs
      ERin

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