MMGM: All Four Stars

I’m not sure if it was the cheery, Mary Englebreit-like cover with cupcakes (!) or the premise that drew me first to ALL FOUR STARS, but I knew from the moment I heard about this book that I had to read it.

I love nothing more than books about kids with big dreams and the dream of being a food critic was new and fresh. Not to mention that I love books where interesting food is center stage.

And with its sugary cover, wouldn't it make a great Valentine's read?

The synopsis (from Amazon):

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?

What I loved about ALL FOUR STARS:

-- An antagonist who is more than she seems. When I first met Charissa Bentley, I thought, oh no, not another prissy, rich antagonist. But there’s a whole lot more to Charissa. I loved how her deeper side comes out in the end, and yay for food bringing the gap between people.

--Writing that doesn’t take itself too seriously. You can tell Dairman had a lot of fun writing the opening scene when Gladys makes curtains brûlée, naming her characters (Parm is Gladys’ best friend and Charissa’s cronies are all named after cars), and writing Gladys’ parents’ lines about their bad cooking.

--Gladys’ reviews throughout. I loved how Dairman inserted Gladys’ reviews of her experiences with food in her diary at the beginning of the book to the reprints of her article at the end. This added a lot of flavor. (Pun intended!)


--A child with big dreams. Although some of Gladys’ escapades were far-fetched and difficult to believe (Could a child really pull of writing for a newspaper?), I still found myself cheering right alongside her, wishing that it were possible for a child to be taken as seriously as she was.

     --A main character who is reluctant and real. Writers are often advised to push their protagonists not to be larger than life. But what I loved about Gladys is that she was ordinary, shy, and sometimes afraid. She didn’t always act in the biggest way, but in the truest way to her character. I think that ordinary kids, or adults who were once ordinary kids (like me!), will find this refreshing.

As I was reading this, it kept reminding me of THE SCHOOL STORY (Clements), another book about a child who follows her big dreams (and succeeds!). If you enjoy Clements or books about food, kid writers, or dreamers with a hint of whimsy, I think you will enjoy ALL FOUR STARS.

As for me, I’d give it five.

The sequel to ALL FOUR STARS, THE STARS OF SUMMER, is coming out May 5^th!


If you're looking for Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog.