Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher.

September 2009, Bloomsbury
160 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Children's

Clouds: 4/5
Cushions: 2/5
Tissues: 1/5
Smiles: 4/5
Yunaleska's recommended rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+

There are some books in the world which are what I call timeless classics. Not the classics which might spring to mind, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, but classics in terms that whenever they are read. Be it during the first year of publication, or decades later, these books will appeal to any reader. The Madame Pamplemousse series, in my eyes, has earned that status on my bookshelf.

First to catch my eye was the combination of the title (just what is an incredible edible? Who is Madame Pamplemousse?) and the cover. As my favourite colour, purple on a cover usually attracts my interest. I liked the look of Madeleine, with her hair tied up in ribbons carrying a large pot with something magical inside. This style of illustration carries on inside the book, enhancing the magic of the tale.

There there is the story itself. The narration is written in what I call a fairytale style: the distinctive voice drew me into the gourmet world of Paris. It isn't the food which bites, but the chefs who create, or more accurately in Madeleine's uncle's position, the people who market the food that are to be watched. Madeleine's uncle is a cruel man, never letting her cook. His foul temper keeps his staff in a permanent state of fear. When one of his favourite dishes runs out, it is down to Madeleine to find a replacement.

By accident she discovers Madame Pamplemousse's strange shop, with hundreds of jars of rare delicacies. She is given The Pate of North Atlantic Sea Serpent with Green Peppercorn Mustard. It wasn't what she was after, but it will have to do. Thanks to the pate, her uncle's greed for fame forces Madeleine to become a spy. Feeling she has no other choice, she gets a job in Madame Pamplemousse's shop, using her fine nose and inquisitive mind to figure out the ingredients to Madame Pamplemousse's Incredible Edible.

Even had she been the finest spy in Paris, I doubt Madeleine would have succeeded in hoodwinking Madame Pamplemousse and her one eyed, talking cat Camembert. Yet the future which awaits the guilt-ridden Madeleine isn't a prison cell, but freedom from her current life.

A sweet, happily ever after story which I know I'll be reading countless times in the future. Camembert is a cat with attitude, Madame Pamplemousse has many secrets and there is great potential in little Madeleine.

Liked this? Try Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Frozen Hearts by Emma Kennedy.