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. ( )

I highly enjoyed this fascinating book about Gladys Gatsby. My favorite parts in the book included Sandy, one of Gladys' best friends. The book takes place in present day, in a town called Dumpville when Gladys is an 11 year old foodie, thanks to her aunt Lydia, and has already made over 121 recipes from 12 cookbooks in secret. One day, Gladys attempts to make crème brûlée with a blowtorch and sets the kitchen curtains on fire just as her parents come home! Read the rest of the book to find out what happens next. ( )

(Review originally published on The Children's Book and Media Review)

Gladys Gatsby loves to cook, but her parents want her to stop after she almost burns down her kitchen with a blowtorch trying to make creme brulee. Her parents forbid her to cook or read about cooking and instead to play outside and make friends—things that don't sound appealing at all to Gladys. When a mix-up with a school assignment gets her a job as a food critic, that is if she can get to the restaurant and submit a review good enough to convince the newspaper that she can do the task, she makes friends with people she never expected to associate with and works hard to convince her parents why she loves food and to accomplish her goals.

Some of the events of the story are unrealistic, and a few of the characters are more like caricatures of the role they are in, but Gladys is charming and her determination to achieve her goals is admirable. Gladys is timid on the outside, but the passion for food hiding inside of her and her enthusiasm is contagious to both other characters and the reader. Seeing involved, caring parents and teachers in the book is also a wonderful aspect of the story. Foodies in particular will enjoy reading the food descriptions and about how Gladys approaches the food world. This book is adorable and will make readers both smile and head to the kitchen to eat some food after the beautiful descriptions of the food that Gladys cooks and eats. ( )

This was a fun, lighthearted read. Although written for middle school readers, anyone will enjoy suspending their disbelief to discover how eleven-year-old Gladys Gatsby becomes a restaurant reviewer for the world-famous New York Standard newspaper. Throughout the novel the author sprinkles in a few charming plays on words, such as Gladys' friend Sandy's two rabbits: Edward Hopper and brother Dennis. And her aunt's endearing nicknames for Gladys, based on flowers. The plot cleverly evolves from Gladys being banished from the family's kitchen after setting the curtains on fire while making creme brulee with a blowtorch, to buttering up her sixth grade nemesis in order to get to a New York dessert restaurant. While the book had lots of food descriptions and several quirky characters, my only complaint is the lack of recipes. ( )

I've been waiting forever for All Four Stars to cross my path. Just look at the cover? It screams adorable and that there will be a lot of talk about desserts. There were.

Gladys secretly learned how to cook and bake after school. One day, she makes a mistake with one of those mini blowtorches for creme brulees. She gets the curtains set on fire and her parents see her which leads to a monumental change in Gladys life.

Her parents are fast food types of people that don't know how to cook. They don't trust Gladys to cook because she's so young. They don't even understand why she cooks when she explains to them what she's been doing the last few years. This is her passion. But her parents aren't having any of it. Her parents are so ridiculous that I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows at them when all they did in the kitchen was put something in the microwave to heat up. The would "nuke it" in the microwave specifically. How are they not all fat?

Gladys and her parents get into a fight after the curtain burning which leads to her getting banned from cooking. That single act as well as her new teacher leads her down a path of food, risks, and friendship.

She gets this assignment about what she wants to be when she grows up. It gets sent as a job application for a food critic. So now Gladys is a food critic with no way to critique a restaurant! She has to scramble to find a way to meet her deadline. She has to go to the one person that she positively does not like to do so.

This was perfectly fun from beginning to end. I love the way the author writes. I like how the parents actually made right choices for her even when they haven't been doing so in regards to food. Gladys is a plucky little girl with passion and ambition. The food she describes in her critiques sound scrumptious which was just what I was hoping for. If you are looking for something light, fun, and to satisfy the inner foodie (or hungry) side of you I would check out All Four Stars. It won't disappoint. ( )