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!
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| 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.
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| 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!
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Till laters!
ERin
