Hot Lunch

Synopsis: Molly and Cassie do not get along. Molly is a loner and very sarcastic. Cassie oozes positive attitude. When they fail to work together on a project for school, their bickering results in a massive food fight. As a consequence, they are forced to become lunch ladies. And the only thing that can get them out of the kitchen is to produce food that the other students think is delicious. At first, the meals that are made in this unorthodox kitchen are not even edible, causing more crazy antics to ensue. But over time, and assisted by several supporting characters, the girls finally step up to the challenge, and start to develop a true friendship.

Book Club Discussion: Many members of the club felt that Clyde and his pastries were the highlight of the book. Clyde wants to help Molly and Cassie succeed, so he asks to make the desserts. After several failed attempts, he begins to produce such superb desserts that many students at the school buy the hot lunch and go directly to the dessert section. To be completely honest, my mouth was watering when I read about some of those desserts...and I am still thinking about them.

Another highlight was the student's revolt when the original lunch lady returned. The entire student body refused to eat the school lunch in protest, and they demanded that Molly, Cassie, and Clyde be allowed to return to the kitchen.

Some members of the club enjoyed that the school put students in charge of the lunch room. However, other members felt that this was slightly unrealistic, and that they would NEVER eat food that was prepared by one of their classmates.

The writing style of the author was a turn-off for some. There were several slang terms and in many instances the writing appeared to be a failed attempt by an adult to sound current and "hip".

As a snack, the club enjoyed the Skillet Mac and Cheese recipe that was found in the book.