The Saucier's Bones

What do you get when you mix a dash of Roald Dahl, a sprinkle of Iron Chef, and a pinch of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Nothing less than a heaping helping of magical realism set against a culinary backdrop that allows young readers to immerse themselves in a recipe-filled, humorous story about adolescent friendship, healthy living, and cooking, with some fantasy thrown in for extra seasoning.

Meet eleven-year-old Jerry Pasta, the youngest-ever student to begin Master Chef training at Pesto's International School of Culinary Excellence in Italy. Jerry is, to say the least, "different"- a mysterious accident with boiling cooking water turned his hair into pasta. Many in the cooking world have come to believe that Jerry is destined to be the "saviory chef" of prophecy . . . the one to save the world from fatty, unhealthy foods. But Jerry doesn't want that responsibility. He wants to just cook for fun and to support his family. And if that isn't enough on his plate, a powerful-and extremely dangerous-food critic who fears the prophecy is true sees Jerry as a roadblock on his path to world food domination. Add to this simmering mix, Pesto's mysterious janitor called Bones: he seems to show up whenever Jerry is in trouble-but why? During a summer of making friends-and enemies-from different countries, battling on the playing field of a food-fight tournament, and competing for cooking awards, Jerry must decide what type of chef and person he ultimately wants to be: original or ordinary.