The Cookie Crumbles

After the attempted murder of a judge derails a cooking competition for tween bakers, “soon-to-be eighth graders” Lucy and Laila resolve to find the would-be killer in this expertly paced mystery. Because of their town’s “weirdly drawn school district lines,” talented baker Laila and ambitious journalist Lucy are determined to win the Golden Cookie Competition, held at prestigious Sunderland Academy; if Laila receives the Sunderland full-ride scholarship prize and Lucy impresses the school’s scholarship committee with a dazzling piece about the contest, they can attend high school together. As an unexpected last-minute competitor, Laila feels like an underdog, but Lucy’s encouragement gives her the confidence to face off against the affluent participants and impress sugary-sweet Chef Polly and scornful Chef Remi, the celebrity judges. But when a bite of one of Laila’s triple chocolate cookies sends Remi to the hospital, the girls notice something amiss about the whole competition, vowing to find the poisoner and clear Laila’s name. Employing alternating first-person POVs intercut with the girls’ journal entries, Badua (The Takeout) and Dow (Just a Pinch of Magic) craft an appetizing, cozy-adjacent mystery that rests upon abundant cooking content and a supportive friendship. Laila is Black; Lucy has light brown skin. Ages 8–12. Agents: (for Badua) Natalie Lakosil, Irene Goodman Literary; (for Dow) Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary. (June)