DESSERT FIRST

Dessert Schneider loves her sweets so much she even draws a maraschino cherry by her name. She convinces her family to eat dessert before dinner, but when her mother forbids her from eating the coveted Double-Decker Chocolate Bars, Dessert’s sticky fingers ruin a family celebration. She learns the significance of sacrifice when she abstains from sweets for her school’s fundraiser. The plot nimbly balances Dessert’s home and school life, and teacher Mrs. Howdy Doody’s inspiring presence—“my dear, happy learners, show me what you love”—provides necessary support for Dessert’s character development. The family’s French background and their restaurant, Fondue, provide an interesting milieu, and each dinner and dessert is delectably described. Experiences are delightfully imagined through Dessert’s realistic, child-centered perspective. Short chapters interspersed with Davenier’s pen-and-ink washes add immediacy to the text. Let us hope that Durand’s promising debut will be the first in a series; readers would benefit from a second helping of lovable Dessert’s adventures. (Fiction. 7-10)