MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM: Baking Event Kit
Best Users: Public Librarians, Booksellers, Book Clubs
Best Audience: Bakers from Ages 8-13
BAKING EVENT KIT
In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews called Midsummer’s Mayhem (little bee books) “a delectable treat for food and literary connoisseurs alike,” and we have imagined an event that would bring eight-to thirteen-year-old food and literary connoisseurs together!
You will find ideas and tools to create a Midsummer’s Mayhem Baking Contest for your young readers and chefs. The kit’s materials make room for many winners and many delicious variations with:
— Adaptable Poster / Invitation
— Adaptable Flyer / Invitation
— Recipe Book for All Entrants
— Pennant Flags
— Award Certificates
— Table Toppers
Baking Event Kit
DOWNLOAD
Midsummer's Mayhem: Baking Event Kit
(PDF)
Adaptable Poster / Invitation
DOWNLOAD
Midsummer's Mayhem: Poster / Invitation Template
(JPG)
Adaptable Flyer / Invitation
DOWNLOAD
Midsummer's Mayhem: Flyer / Invitation Template
(JPG)
“More and more libraries are offering all manner of cooking demos for all ages. I am delighted to see a crossover like this, where we can combine a quality chapter book and a program with lots of incentives. I hope this is a trend that will explode like a souffle when you open the oven door too soon!”
—Jonathan Paul Dolce, Astor County Library
ABOUT THE BOOK
Midsummer’s Mayhem
By Rajani LaRocca
With illustrations by Rachel Suggs
Published by Yellow Jacket
ISBN-13: 9781499808889
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years
Eleven-year-old Mimi Mackson comes from a big Indian American family: Dad’s a renowned food writer, Mom’s a successful businesswoman, and her three older siblings all have their own respective accomplishments. It’s easy to feel invisible in such an impressive family, but Mimi’s dream of proving she’s not the least-talented member of her family seems possible when she discovers a contest at the new bakery in town. Plus, it’ll start her on the path to becoming a celebrity chef like her culinary idol, Puffy Fay.
But when Mimi’s dad returns from a business trip, he’s mysteriously lost his highly honed sense of taste. Without his help, Mimi will never be able to bake something impressive enough to propel her to gastronomic fame. Drawn into the woods behind her house by a strangely familiar song, Mimi meets Vik, a boy who brings her to parts of the forest she’s never seen. Who knew there were banyan trees and wild boars in Massachusetts? Together they discover exotic ingredients and bake them into delectable and enchanting treats.
But as her dad acts stranger every day, and her siblings’ romantic entanglements cause trouble in their town, Mimi begins to wonder whether the ingredients she and Vik found are somehow the cause of it all. She needs to use her skills, deductive and epicurean, to uncover what’s happened. In the process, she learns that in life, as in baking, not everything is sweet…
“The realistic characters and complex family dynamics augment the tightly knit plot, and the mouthwatering descriptions of food are guaranteed to make readers hungry. Three recipes at the end of the novel (based on the characters’ concoctions) are an added bonus for those interested in developing their culinary skills. A delectable treat for food and literary connoisseurs alike.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
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“Enchantment reigns, yet the author’s exploration of family, friendship, and self-esteem are firmly grounded in reality.”
—Publishers Weekly
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“This riff on A Midsummer Night’s Dream is heartfelt and ridiculously fun. Mimi, sweet as sugar with a heart of gold, creates as many problems as she solves, but readers will be cheering for her and her family the whole way.”
—Booklist
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“This delightful and delicious spin on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream flows beautifully into a sensitive and thoughtful novel that addresses family dynamics and self-confidence alongside mouth-watering descriptions of food. Readers will relate to Mimi’s attempts to stand out and find her place and will be thrilled by the magical baking.”
—School Library Journal
