The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

The title on today's read had me grabbing up a copy immediately. But then, I was also hungry at the time. Still, I do enjoy a book with wonderful food descriptions. Add a good mystery, and it'll be a winner. Let's see if this one is as good as it sounds!   THE COOKIE CRUMBLES by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow Quill Tree Books Middle Grade Mystery 320 pages ages 8 to 12 COMING... JUNE 11th!!! T he Great British Bake Off meets Knives Out in this fun and propulsive middle grade novel following two best friends who must solve the mystery behind a baking competition gone awry. Laila gave Lucy a cupcake on the second day of kindergarten, and they've been inseparable ever since. But the summer before eighth grade, they find out that since they live on opposite sides of town, they’ll go to different high schools. Yuck! Then Laila’s invited to compete at the Golden Cookie competition, which awards its winner admission and a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, and it’s the perfect opportunity. Sunderland doesn’t just have an elite culinary program; it’s also home to an elite journalism track, if only newscaster-hopeful Lucy could build up a strong enough portfolio to impress the scholarship committee. But when one of the celebrity judges collapses after sampling Laila’s showpiece, rumors of foul play swirl, with Laila rising to the top of the suspect list. Even worse, a major storm has effectively cut off all access to the outside world. Can the girls find the real culprit and clear Laila’s name before it’s too late? GOODREADS MY TIDBITS Tangy and sweet baking
wonders twirl with tension and possible murder in an engaging mystery, where
the stakes go beyond scholarship dreams.  

Laila loves to bake, and
she’s talented, too, but her only hope of making it into a well-known culinary
high school sits on winning a full-ride scholarship. Her best friend, Lucy, is
in the same boat, but her goals are set on the school’s other well-known
direction, journalism. Both head off to the competition, Laila to bake for a
win and Lucy on special permission to write an amazing article for the school
paper (which will hopefully also gain her a top scholarship). They might be ready
to support each other to the end, but neither is prepared for the negative
tensions among the competitors. When one of the judges falls prey to an
attempted murder, Laila becomes the main suspect. Now, her and Lucy need to
find the true killer, find the evidence to prove that person’s guilt, and both
prove they deserve the needed scholarships.

The first sentence
already drew a smile: “ Generally speaking, cookies don’t kill people .”
It set the tone nicely for the rest of the read as baking goodness swirls
around an attempted murder. The tale is told from both Laila’s and Lucy’s
points of view with journal notes from each one written in between. The
similarity in the names did take half-a-second to work through, but other than
that, Lucy and Laila’s change in perspectives is easy to follow and gives
exactly what’s needed, at the moment. Add the their golden friendship and knack
for communicating without words, and the two make a great pair.

There are baking details
to delight food fans and a well-woven web of clues to grab mystery sleuths. The
other characters carry a wide range of personalities, making each individual
shine in their own way for better or worse. Each carries a secret or two, and
it’s hard to tell who can be trusted and who can’t. Add the competitive flurry,
which packs more than a little nastiness, and there’s more than a little drama
tossed in as well. As each secret comes to light, it becomes harder to know
what the real motive is. Even the ending pulled through with an extra burst of
surprises to keep readers on their toes.