Review
The first in a series about craft-loving Finley Flowers and her best friend, Henry. Henry is about to turn 9, and she wants to find the perfect present for him. When she finds out that the school's fundraiser is a cook-off and the prize is a whole year's worth of pizza, she just knows that she and Henry will come up with the best recipe and win the best birthday present ever. The problem is that though Finley doesn't know how to cook, she does not want to read recipes, listen to Henry's ideas or get ideas from cooking shows. Everything she makes, from pepperoni parfaits to smoked-salmon smoothies, is inedible. Henry becomes frustrated as Finley ignores his suggestions, and for the first time ever, these friends get into a fight. Young creates memorable characters in Henry and Finley, but Finley's rivalry with classmate Olivia is given too little back story to satisfy. Moreover, Finley's plays on her own name Fin-spiration, Fin-credible;in-Fin-it etc.) become wearing. Nevertheless, young cooks who are comfortable with chapter books will identify with Finley's energy and may even want to try her recipe for Pasta; Despite bumps, a promising-enough start. (Fiction. 7-9) --Kirkus Reviews
Third-grader Finley Flowers stars in this entertaining series opener, in which she is trying to win her school s cook-off competition. Young s story, told in 12 chapters, focuses on Finley and her best friend Henry as they experiment with a slew of culinary mashups. Readers will get a kick out of considering the interesting concoctions Finley and Henry whip up strawberry-garlic burritos or salad dressing soup, anyone? Secheret gives the characters oversize heads and dainty, doll-like features in her full-color spot illustrations, helping highlight their personalities. As friendship and family dilemmas spike the plot, Young avoids handing easy victories to her determined and undeniably creative heroine. A recipe for Finley s PB&J Spaghetti is included (hot sauce makes it KAPOW-erful ), but most of her creations are, blessedly, left to readers imaginations. Ages 6 8. --Publishers Weekly
Craft maven Finley Flowers is stumped: her best friend Henry is turning nine, and she has no idea what to get him. But the school cook-off is coming up, and the prize is a year s supply of Henry s favorite pizza. Finley is determined to win for Henry, but cooking, it seems, is not quite the same as crafting. Smoked salmon smoothies and peanut-butter-and-jelly pasta sounds great in theory, but the results aren t quite what she had hoped for. Will Finley s creativity and determination triumph, or will a rival s lavender lemonade win the day? This is a light, endearing story of friendship that will work well as a read-aloud or for a newly solo reader. For the more adventurous child (and parent), several recipes from the story are included in the back. --Booklist Online
About the Author
Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada. The same things make her happy now as when she was a kid: dancing, painting, music, digging in the dirt, picnics, reading, and writing. Like Finley Flowers, Jessica loves making stuff. When she was little, she wanted to be a tap-dancing flight attendant/veterinarian, but she's changed her mind! Jessica currently lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jessica was born on a spring day in 1978 in a small French town. When she was very young she had strange buddies that were always with her: felt pens, colored pencils, brushes and paint. After several years spent in various agencies of architecture, she decided to give up squares, rulers, and compasses and put her body, heart, and soul into what she always loved putting her own imagination on paper. She s currently residing at her studio in Paris, drawing for magazines and children s books in France and abroad.
