All Four Stars (All Fouir Stars, #1)

by Tara Dairman

“A scrumptious gem of a story!”—Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of The False Prince
 
Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)
 
Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world. But in order to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret! Easy as pie, right?

• ISBN10: 0142426369
• ISBN13: 9780142426364
• Publish Date: 7 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Puffin
• Format: Paperback (US Digest)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780142426364

Reviews

What a sweet and utterly charming middle grade novel. To be fair, my cooking skills are definitely more on par with Gladys' parents than Gladys and my palate is more Parm but I enjoyed the passion she exhibited for food and the misadventures she gets into because of it.

I loved the supporting cast of characters and the friendships Gladys developed with them all. I loved that even when they didn't all have the same passions, they still supported each other. Her quiet friendship with Mr Eng was great and I liked that Gladys inspires Charissa to branch out and frequent his shop. I loved the details when Gladys fills out all the employment forms - I had a chuckle when she reasoned that because she was deemed a freelancer she's working for free.

I understood where her parents were coming from with their worry over her cooking alone but I thought it was unfair they didn't encourage her passion more and work with her to find solutions they could all be happy about. Plus grounding her from cooking and everything related including cook books and cooking shows for six whole months was ridiculous and insanely over the top. I liked that her Aunt supports her and tries to sneak her ingredients and equipment.

I enjoyed the inclusion of her teacher as a real person who has her own passions and interests. I thought the inclusion of Ms Quincy's cover letter was inspired and I liked the emphasis on looking forward to the future and what could be if you work hard.

I'm having a real good run with middle grade novels lately. Between this and [b:The Charming Life of Izzy Malone|29430748|The Charming Life of Izzy Malone|Jenny Lundquist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474824458l/29430748._SY75_.jpg|49404419] I'm spoiled for great middle grade options. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. 5 stars.