Rude Dude's Book of Food

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 9, 2015

Review

A middle school history of some of the more important food stories and facts, like who invented chocolate, why are Americans so ga-ga over hamburgers, and from where, exactly, does the fortune cookie originate. The book is written in a conversational voice that is meant to "speak" to middle schoolers, and parts of it might. But Myers's tendency to digress and foreshadow information could be quite confusing to unsophisticated readers. I feel that this book is written for a reluctant-reader audience, but many reluctant readers will be confused and frustrated with Myers's jumpy style. The information presented is fascinating, and he is funny and quirky, so if you have the right reader, this book is worth a look. I appreciated his tips about eating healthily and taking care of oneself in each chapter. I think that it would be best in the hands of a teacher who can extrapolate the useful information and insert it into a bigger lesson. Myers includes step-by-step uses for each chapter, particularly as it relates to Common Core. Smiley's line drawings are cute and fit the playful tone of the book though I often wanted to skip looking at them in an effort to keep up with Myers's train of thought. I also found myself wondering, "where are the source books, resources used, further reading lists?" Myers encourages the reader to look up Marco Polo and other explorers, and while I appreciate that this could send a young reader into the library for some reference assistance, it would be nice to see from where he got his information. It's what I would require of my students. A non-essential purchase for a library.

Overall Book Score: good