September 2009, Bloomsbury
160 pages, Hardback
Review copy
Children's
Clouds: 1/5
Cushions: 3/5
Pencils: 5/5
Smiles: 4/5
Yunaleska's recommended rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+
Madeleine's life changed forever thanks to her cruel uncle when she met Madame Pamplemousse in Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles. Enjoying her life as a chef in the loving home of her new adoptive parents, Madame and Monsieur Cornichon, owners of the Hungry Snail restaurant, Madeleine is unaware that the President of France wishes to crush her dream. The President aims to destroy the heart of Paris, the unique shops and buildings. One of his close colleagues, Madame Fondue explains the (il)logical reason behind sending Madeleine to a detention centre.
Seeing the insanity of the situation, Madeleine takes the best course of action: escape. Related to the President's ideas was the earlier disappearance of Madame Pamplemousse. She can't help right now, but that doesn't mean Madeleine is out of options. A cafe owner, who has invented a time travelling coffee maker comes to Madeleine's rescue.
Travelling backwards in time, encountering dinosaurs and a sphinx is the only way Madeleine can change the present situation for both herself and for the whole of Paris. Madame Pamplemousse and her one eyed cat Camembert, who does an excellent Tarzan impression are already on the case to help Madeleine. Together they help her face life-threatening dangers in the past to secure her future.
The magic from Madeleine's first adventures carry on in this second volume. The mixture of food, dinosaurs and oceans add to the excitement of Madeleine's escape. I hadn't thought anyone could be more cruel than her uncle, but I was proved wrong in the President. The mystery surrounding Madame Pamplemousse's identity unravels a little at the end, yet it stirs up more questions. Who are all those that Madeleine meets at the end - why do they use a phrase, spoken in volume one, 'people like us should stick together'? A question I hope which will create more adventures for Madeleine.
Make sure you've read the first in the series, Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles.
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