Flavor Of The Week [Hardcover]

Tucker Shaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

Cyril Bartholomew isn't exactly everyone's idea of a dream date¾he's a little on the heavy side. Not that he gets pushed around or anything, but it does cause him to keep one very important secret from everyone: he loves too cook. The only person who knows this secret is his best friend, Nick. Nick is just about the opposite of Cyril-he's a really attractive track star who is cool in a rebellious sort of way. Cyril has never been jealous of Nick, though. . .until the day that Nick decides he is interested in Rose Mulligan, Cyril's long-time secret crush. Flavor of the Week is a classic love triangle between three very unclassic teens, with lots of delicious food courses in between.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-A predictable cute guy/nerdy guy/gorgeous girl love triangle. Cyril, 16, is an aspiring chef who dreams of studying at the prestigious American Institute of Culinary Arts. He also dreams of a future with the beautiful Rose, who only sees him as her chubby, good-natured friend. She's smitten instead with his best friend, Nick. After Nick pretends he's the one who baked the "kitchen-sink cookies" that Rose goes wild for, Cyril agrees to help Nick win the girl by secretly preparing a series of delicious gourmet meals. In the end, of course, the true identity of the chef is revealed, and Rose realizes who her true hero is. Each chapter concludes with a recipe that relates to the preceding events. An appetizing purchase, though not a necessary one.
Ronni Krasnow, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-10. The Iron Chef meets Cyrano de Bergerac in this flossy romantic comedy about Cyril Bartholomew, an overweight cooking prodigy, whose two top-secret passions --food and a girl named Rose--land him in a love triangle. It all begins when Cyril's handsome best friend decides to woo Rose, a crunchy-granola type who finds men in aprons irresistible, by passing off Cyril's culinary creations as his own. Figuring this may be his only chance to cook for his love, Cyril loyally goes along with the ruse. Unfortunately, the resulting turmoil imperils his audition at a prestigious culinary institute. In the end, good-hearted Cyril earns a spot at the institute by serving up simple, honest food, and he gets the girl through a similar approach. Though the subsidiary characters are underdeveloped, Cyril is a charismatic hero whose mixture of kitchen machismo and relationship timidity will endear him to readers--even those more interested in pepperoni pizza than "Carmelized Onion Paste with Shaved Truffles" (one of 25 dishes for which recipes are provided). Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786818905
• ISBN-13: 978-0786818907
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,623,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the most original book I ever read., October 1, 2003

By 

maddie mod (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flavor Of The Week (Hardcover)

I just finished Flavor of the Week and it's the most unique book I ever read. I read it in two sittings. It's about this guy Cyril who has a crush on this girl Rose, but he's kinda chubby so he doesn't think he has a chance with her. His friend Nick also has a crush on her and Cyril helps Nick out by cooking and letting Nick take the credit for the food. Rose thinks she's falling for Nick, but really she's falling for Cyril's cooking. The book's really funny. The only bad part is that it made me want to everything in sight. It has recipes too, which my friend tried and said were awesome.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cyril Live, August 2, 2004

By 

Ashley V (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flavor Of The Week (Hardcover)

I loved this book. Its not the run-of-the mill love story. Cyril performs wonders in the kitchen but runs a little short in love. He adores his lab partner Rose Mulligan, a spunky hippy chick that doesn't show the same interest. As far as Cyril goes he is just the best guy-friend any girl could have. When Cyril's long-time buddy Nick returns after 3 years from New York, Rose instantly falls for him. Nick thinks there is something mysterious about Rose. After begging, Cyril agrees to help his best-friend woo the love of his life. So Cyril cooks a romantic meal for Nick to take all the glory. Rose and Nick soon become a couple, and everything goes downhill from there. Read this book it is wicked. A little bonus recipe follows every chapter. I recommend this book to romantic chefs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Love Story with Recipes, September 27, 2003

By 

allie (Metuchen NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flavor Of The Week (Hardcover)

This is the most clever book I've seen this year. It's about a teenager in upstate New York who is an incredible cook, and how his amazing talent gets him in trouble with the girl he's in love with. It's really funny and even made me cry a little at the end ...

Plus it's got recipes after each chapter which made me SO hungry. I am in love with Cyril! I feel like I know him. When you're reading this book you can easily picture the movie. You have to get this book! It's so worth it...especially with all the recipes!!...