Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire: A Recipe for Trouble

Gr 5 Up–Alice Éclair is a precocious young teenager in 1930s France. She designs intricate iced cakes and treats at her mother’s bakery in the center of Paris, while in her spare time she’s an amateur sleuth solving various codes and puzzles. For over a year, an anonymous person has been leaving codes for her all around the city with each solution leading to the next clue. The latest clue directs her to steal from an unsuspecting socialite and become a chef on upscale cross-country train the Sapphire Express. Once on the train, Alice gets to work impressing the head chef while also trying to figure out which passenger is a spy smuggling documents. When Alice does find them, she realizes the true motives behind this mission have been hidden from her. Set just before World War II, this fast-paced series debut centers plucky young baker Alice in an action-packed story young readers will love. Compelling surrounding characters, mouth-watering food descriptions, and a plethora of twists and turns throughout will keep pages turning.