Synopsis: When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.
Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner ... including Alice's mother and some of Alice's friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy . . . and it's up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do. (Goodreads.com)
Alice is positively heartbroken over losing her beloved Aunt Polly. But she is not thrilled about being the new caretaker of Polly's beloved cat, Lardo. The cat kind of scares Alice. He also proves to be a great catalyst for Alice's imagination, which is where so much of the fun in this book takes place. Alice imagines conspiracies are running amuck in her tiny hometown after Polly's death and she is not afraid to play detective, along with her friend, Charlie.
There is a lot of sweetness running throughout this book, but fortunately not of the saccharine, too sweet to bear, variety. Alice is a nice kid who is feeling lost after Polly dies. She doesn't think her mom appreciates her imagination and tendency to create her own little songs (something I do too!). She doesn't really have an affinity for pies like her aunt, she just enjoyed spending time with her. But now she has a mystery on her hands. The mystery fits the tone of the book. Light-hearted and nothing too deadly or scary, but rather a comical mystery that only a small town obsessed with pies could become embroiled in. Alice and Charlie as amateur sleuths is incredibly comical.
There is a new pie recipe at the beginning of each chapter of the book and if at least one of them does not make your mouth water, you are a better person than me! Coconut cream, chocolate cream, rhubarb pie and more! You may just be tempted to try your hand at a recipe (I know I am!).
I didn't much care for the epilogue, it bordered on the over the top for me, but overall, I thought Pie was rather scrumptious. Sarah Weeks makes me smile and this is a nice tween read that will work well for younger readers as well as eleven and twelve year old kids. It is a historical (set in 1955) and the time period helps give the town and its characters a sense of place that fits in well with just why they are so pie-obsessed. All in all, a nice and easy read with a dollop of humor!
Add this book to a display featuring The Cupcake Diaries (another Scholastic book series), Lisa Schroeder's It's Raining Cupcakes, and its sequel, Sprinkles and Secrets, along with Bake Sale by Sara Varon and you're well on your way to a tasty and decadently sweet display for your baking inclined tweens.
Pie is a Scholastic book and is currently available.
Other reviews:
Reading Everywhere reviews Pie
Waking Brain Cells reviews Pie
Copy reviewed from library.
