Hungry For A New Middle Grade Book? ALL FOUR STARS Giveaway!!

Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin

Boy, do I have a tasty treat for you. Gladys Gatsby has arrived!

Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated, but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world. But to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret. Easy as pie, right?

I first met author Tara Dairman's wonderful character Gladys Gatsby when 250 words of Gladdy's bold culinary antics were featured in a contest entry on Miss Snark's First Victim. I fell deeply in love with that single page, so you can imagine my feelings about an entire book full of this charming heroine. I wasn't a bit surprised when I learned that the manuscript had been snatched up by a fabulous agent and, shortly after, a very large publisher.

Spirit, humor, heart, and mouthwatering dishes make All Four Stars a must-read for any lover of middle grade literature, particularly young chefs-in-the-making and young foodies. And all of the delicious food items mentioned in the book have been personally savored by the author, who sampled some of the world's most scrumptious meals and nibbles during her 2-year, 74-country honeymoon...yes, it's true, go read about it here). Here's a sample of the fantastic industry praise All Four Stars has gotten:

 Gladys is a lovable character with plenty of spunk and desire, and readers will happily cheer her on, while the fresh plot adds a delicious dimension to the host of stories set in sixth grade.

-BOOKLIST

The [restaurant-reviewing] plan goes disastrously and hilariously awry, but Gladys and fine food ultimately triumph. The characters are well drawn…Give this one to your young foodies.-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Younger readers (especially those who know their way around a kitchen) will be amused by Gladys’s reviews of her parents’ horrible cooking (“The peas… arrived at the table in a soggy, mushy state fit for a baby”) and her plot to get to New York City without alerting any adults. The triumphant conclusion makes this a tasty read.
-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Gladys turns out to be surprisingly canny and resourceful…and Gladys’s psychological journey and personal transformation are solid and credible. [An] entertaining story about the joys of following one’s bliss.
-KIRKUS

All Four Stars has been named an Amazon Best Book of the Month for July

The book was released on July 10 and I've already bought 3 copies for myself and family members. I love it so much that I'm giving away a copy to my blog readers as well. *Just leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered. The winner will be chosen via Random.org on July 25th.*

UPDATE: Random.org has spoken and the winner of Tara's book is michelleimason!! Congrats, Michelle!

Tara's Website: http://taradairman.com/

Tara's Blog: http://taradairman.com/blog/

Follow Tara on Twitter (@TaraDairman)