Delicious Debut: This Book Might Turn Your Kid Into a Foodie
You don’t need a meat thermometer to know that cooking is a red hot part of pop culture. But did you know that even elementary school-age kids can get a taste of today’s sizzling trends? Recent years have seen the publication of a number of food-themed fiction books for middle-grade readers (ages 9 through 12), like Pie by Sarah Weeks, Cupcake Cousins by Kate Hannigan, The Neil Flambé series by Kevin Sylvester and The Recipe for Adventure series by celebrity chef Giada De Laurentis. Dairman’s debut middle-grade novel All Four Stars chronicles the adventures of a sixth-grader who, thanks to an unlikely series of events, suddenly becomes a professional food critic for a major New York City newspaper. What 11-year-old Gladys Gatsby lacks in kitchen privileges, she more than makes up for with a precocious passion for cuisine … unlike her fast-food-loving parents, who would rather see their daughter out with friends than indoors with a flambé torch. Warning: There are some light spoilers ahead, but they’ll only whet your appetite for the book. The plot of All Four Stars is deliciously inventive. The real-life experience that helped inspire All Four Stars actually had to do with my old job as a magazine editor. So it struck me one day that I could probably be tricked into publishing a kid if her writing samples were strong enough and she sent professional-sounding e-mails. Suddenly, I had a great premise for a novel on my hands. There are, as you’d expect, a variety of dishes described in the book. Have you tried all of them? But some of the creative desserts that Gladys tries at Classy Cakes I made up, just putting flavors together that sounded tasty. Your description of the meal at Gladys’ friend Parm’s house was particularly mouth-watering. Of the various ethnic and regional cuisines you’ve sampled, is Indian your favorite? Do you think the book will inspire young readers to be more adventurous in their own food choices? If they don’t happen to live near hubs of gastronomic diversity — i.e. Manhattan — or can’t afford to eat out, is there anything you suggest to help them satisfy their curious palates? And as for those who can’t eat out, perhaps they’ll decide to try preparing a new recipe. With so many recipes available online these days, and companies shipping ethnic groceries and spices just about anywhere, it’s easier than ever before to experiment with new ingredients and flavors at home. Author Tara Dairman/Photo by Tiffany Crowder @ Crowded Studios
Let’s talk about Gladys’ life at school. The school social dynamic seems very real. Did you draw from your own grade school memories to create it? Absolutely. The social hierarchy of the sixth-grade cafeteria table will be seared into my brain forever, I think! It’s a pretty tough time if you don’t have many friends, or are just trying to fly under the radar of the more powerful kids. Are we supposed to infer that Charissa’s “mean girl” behavior is caused, at least in part, by the fact that her wealthy parents deprive her of satisfying meals? I don’t think she’s quite that deprived (but thank you for your concern!). I get grumpy pretty quickly when I’m hungry, so I decided to share that characteristic with Charissa. But with all the other kids paying her tribute with their desserts, and with her access to her parents’ credit card, she doesn’t let herself go too hungry. Are your descriptions of Gladys’ parents an indictment of today’s fast food culture? I see how they could be read as such. However, I don’t write with an agenda. More than anything else, Gladys’s parents’ eating habits were inspired by those of my own family growing up — we relied heavily on take-out food and the microwave. So I’m glad to see the culture shifting somewhat now, back to appreciating home cooking. Gladys rebels against her parents’ food preferences. My very favorite classic middle-grade heroines and heroes — Matilda, Harriet the Spy, Harry Potter — all feature kids who realize that the time has come to start taking matters into their own hands. I see Gladys fitting firmly into that tradition, but instead of her milieu being, say, a magical world, it’s the all-too-real world of food. Did it cross your mind that the book might encourage real tweens to bluff their way into plum writing assignments in professional publications? Frankly, the journalism market is tight as it is and we don’t need the competition! Ha! I assume that most publications would require a resume and do better background checking on their potential job candidates than The New York Standard does in All Four Stars. Anyone seeking to use the novel as a manual for journalistic trickery will be sorely disappointed. Oh, wow — great question. Gladys, on the other hand, has plenty of experience cooking under pressure. So I’m going to bet on Gladys for this one. ***
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