Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
An American Library Association 2021 Best Graphic Novel for Children
In this silly, action-packed graphic novel, a young chef must protect her town from an onslaught of scientifically enhanced, highly addictive potatoes!
Yasmina isn’t like the other kids in her city. Maybe it’s the big chef hat she wears. Or the fact that she stuffs her dad’s lunchbox full of spring rolls instead of peanut butter and jelly. She might be an oddball, but no one can deny that Yasmina has a flair for food. All she needs to whip up a gourmet meal is a recipe from her cookbook and fresh vegetable form the community garden.
But everything changes when the garden is bulldozed and replaced with a strange new crop of potatoes. Her neighbors can’t get enough of these spuds! And after just one bite their behavior changes—they slobber, chase cats, and howl at the moon. What's the secret ingredient in these potatoes that has everyone acting like a bunch of crazed canines? Yasmina needs to find a cure, and fast!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eleven-year-old chef Yasmina, a lanky child with thick squiggles of black hair and light skin, believes food is, first and foremost, about love, which puts her immediately at odds with shady businessman and potato farmer Tom de Perre. Purchasing and razing the two local community gardens Yasmina frequents for fresh vegetables, de Perre evicts elderly pesticide user Cyril and younger guerrilla gardener Marco to grow genetically modified flavored potatoes. Yasmina, who cooks plant-based lunches and dinners daily for her working father after her mother's passing, is rightfully indignant, but when the townsfolk—including her father—start acting strange, she must investigate with Cyril, Marco, and a mysterious neighbor to save them. Belgian creator Mannaert's story remains tender throughout. His dynamic style, with thin linework accompanied by vibrant greens and lush salmon pinks, eschews traditional paneling in favor of floating, borderless glimpses into Yasmina's world. Though a lack of initial conflict may make it difficult to dive in, Yasmina's passionate advocacy for eating with care ("I should start a petition to have math class replaced by a cooking class") sustains a wholesome humor throughout. Back matter includes notes on Mannaert's inspiration and process. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.
