Nixie Ness: Cooking Star

April 15, 2019
Nixie is facing a crisis: "How could you be best friends with more than one person?" Now that the third-grader's stay-at-home mother has gotten a job, Nixie has to attend after-school cooking camp. That means her very best friend, Grace, who's been staying with Nixie in the afternoons because the after-school program costs too much, will now be staying with Elyse. Naturally, Grace enjoys spending time with Elyse--and Elyse's new kitten--cementing a new friendship. It's not that cooking camp isn't fun. Nixie's team, consisting of smart, fact-spewing Nolan, very precise Vera, and humorously energetic Boogie Bass, makes sure of that. But it's not the same any more, having to reluctantly share Grace with Elyse, and Nixie's determined to find a way to fix things. Unfortunately, her misguided efforts only backfire, and finally Nixie, feeling betrayed, does the unthinkable and screams a horrible thing at Grace. It won't be easy to win back her friend. Nixie and her classmates are drawn with enough individuality to distinguish them as they deal with the universal problems of their age group supported by friendly peers and (mostly) helpful adults. Nixie and Boogie present white, and Nolan is Indian-American; illustrations suggest that Vera, Grace, and Elyse are all children of color. Likable Nixie creates a terrific recipe for winning back old friends and making lots of new ones. (Fiction. 7-9)

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April 22, 2019
In the sugar-dusted opening scene of this engaging series debut, Nixie Ness observes that “the only thing better than baking cupcakes was baking cupcakes on a Friday afternoon with your best friend in the whole world.” Mills (the Franklin School Friends series) spices things up with a turn of events that rocks Nixie’s sweet world. Her mother starts a new job, and her best friend Grace (whose parents work outside the home) is now spending afternoons not with Nixie, but at the house of another third grader, Elyse (who has an adorable new pet). Nixie’s response to this news captures her theatrical flair: “Elyse’s house? With Elyse and her kitten?” Nixie begrudgingly attends an after-school cooking camp, where she masterminds botched plans to win Grace back. Mitigating that drama is Nixie’s deepening rapport with three fellow cooking campers—perfectionist Vera, brainy Nolan, and cut-up Boogie—who expand her definition of friendship and her appreciation of differences. Zong’s (Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas) fetching cover illustration of sloppy chef Nixie is an auspicious foreshadowing of the final interior art, not seen by PW. A recipe concludes. Ages 7–10.

May 1, 2019

Gr 2-5-Third grade comes to an abrupt halt when Nixie Ness is forced to attend the after-school program because her mother is going back to work. What will happen to all the memorable afternoons Nixie was going to spend with her BFF Grace? Unfortunately, Grace cannot attend the after-school program, and, to Nixie's dismay, she will be spending time with another classmate, Elyse, and her cuddly kitten. Although Nixie attends the program reluctantly, she eventually finds she is capable of making new friends. Cooking Camp turns out to be a blast, and Nixie surprises herself by opening up to new possibilities. Vera, Boogie Bass, and Nolan turn out to be reliable friends, ones Nixie would probably not have bothered to get to know if she hadn't been a part of the camp. Nixie also realizes that Elyse is not out to steal Grace away from her and finds contentment in knowing that friendship comes in many varieties. VERDICT Young readers will easily relate to this wholesome look at early friendships and conflicts.-Martha Rico, Yselta ISD, TX

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Third-grade best friends Nixie and Grace spend afternoons at Nixie's house, until Nixie's mom accepts her dream job. Nixie goes to "After School Superstars," and Grace, whose family can't afford the after-school program, now spends afternoons with classmate Elyse. Almost immediately, Nixie and Grace's friendship faces the strain of jealousy. Humorous vignettes from after-school cooking class lighten the story. Expressive black-and-white illustrations give newer chapter-book readers time to pause and process events.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2019
Third-graders and best friends Nixie and Grace spend every afternoon after school together at Nixie's house, until the day Nixie's mom quits working from home to accept her dream job at a bookstore. Nixie will now attend After School Superstars, and Grace, whose family can't afford the after-school program, will spend her afternoons with another classmate, Elyse. Almost immediately, Nixie finds her friendship with Grace facing the strain of jealousy. To complicate matters further, Nixie actually enjoys After School Superstars, especially her cooking class, but she feels guilty forming new friendships. Unaddressed tension grows until Nixie loses control and meanly lashes out at Grace: The only reason you go to Elyse's house is because your parents are too poor to send you to after-school camp with everybody else! Her family felt sorry for you! Nixie eventually makes amends (and cookies), leading to a satisfying resolution. Humorous vignettes from cooking class lighten the story, with the kids Nixie meets there gently helping her to both figure out how to broaden her friend group and discover the power of apologies, grand gestures, and honest conversation. Expressive black-and-white illustrations give newer chapter-book readers time to pause and process the events and maybe consider their own friendship dramas. julie roach

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)