photo by EssjayNZ

HONK HONK!!

Have you heard the good news?

Marybeth Kelsey’s second middle grade novel, A Recipe 4 Robbery (Greenwillow, 2009), is officially out today! WooHoo!!

   
     A RECIPE 4 ROBBERY by Marybeth Kelsey (Greenwillow, 2009),
     Fiction for ages 8-12, 288 pp.

I don’t know about you, but a book with the word, "recipe" in the title sounds awfully good to me. Actually, I just read the first eight chapters at the publisher’s website, and it looks like Marybeth has cooked up a fun, fast paced mystery caper with just the right ingredients to satisfy readers 8 – 12.   

      
        Cukes everywhere are doin’ the Marybeth happy dance!
        (photo by sujuzspace)

First, there’s ten-year-old Lindy Lou Phillips, who’s sworn off vegetables for the annual Bloomsberry Cucumber Festival. That includes dressing up like one (her mom’s a carrot, and her dad and brother are beets), as well as eating them. But alas and alack, a plate full of gross, slimy, disgusting stewed cucumbers prepared by the dotty Mrs. Unger is forced upon her, and she is obligated to try them.

Add to the mix, Lindy’s best friend, Margaret; know-it-all, Gus Kinnard (who’s definitely not her boyfriend!); a desire to go to band camp, and a messy run-in with snotty Cucumber Festival Princess, Angel Grimstone (strawberry shortcake is involved).

Next, slip in a key ingredient: the discovery of a valuable stolen locket in the cucumber sludge! Knowing full well there’s no way Mrs. Unger, aka, Granny Goose, could be guilty, the three friends set out to find who could have framed her and why. Could it be flamboyant François, the French chef? Or Leonard, the Grimstone’s sullen gardener?

A hefty reward looms on the horizon, as the trio adopts a strategy laid out by the NSCCB (Not-So-Clueless-Crimebusters). The narrative moves along at a brisk pace, and readers will be captivated by Lindy’s authentic voice and humor from the outset. Sprinkle in a mischievous, shiny-object-loving goose named Pickles, a little jealousy, corn dogs, lemonade, and french fries, and you’ve got a delicious, suspenseful read. 

A Recipe 4 Robbery has already received a glowing review from Kirkus, who called it "top-notch summer reading." Sweet words, indeed, especially on the heels of Kelsey’s highly acclaimed first novel, Tracking Daddy Down (2008), which received a starred review from School Library Journal, and was named to the New York Public Library’s 2008 list of Top 100 Books for Reading and Sharing.

    
      How about a big flap of applause for Marybeth?
      (photo by ruth_gord)

Now, please join me in congratulating Marybeth on another fabulous book (vegetarians will be especially pleased with today’s soup). Though cucumbers are involved, they are of the coolest variety — no sludge, slime, or goop to interfere with your celebratory slurping!

Today’s Special: Goosey Gumbo (served with mini cheese breadsticks).

And, to top off the meal, have some strawberry shortcake:

photo source: Betty Crocker Recipes

A Recipe 4 Robbery can be purchased at your local indie or fave online bookseller. Click here to read some sample chapters from the book.

   
     "Well, what are you waiting for?!"
     (photo by phekda5000)

Don’t forget to check out Marybeth’s website or Live Journal blog for more about her and her books!

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