Spotlight: The League of Picky Eaters

I first became aware of Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic from hearing her interviewed on Literaticast by Jennifer Laughran. Then I discovered how hilarious she was on Twitter thanks to this post that captured the essence of remote school. But I fell in love after reading her middle-grade novel The League of Picky Eaters. Throughout the book, Lucianovic’s humor and heart combine to make a winning book I want more people to discover!

The League of Picky Eaters takes place in a town called Muffaletta and focuses on Minerva, a sixth-grader at St. Julia Child Elementary and Middle School. Any place that has granted sainthood to Julia Child is already sounding good, right? Muffaletta is a curious place where the citizens have decided that children’s eating habits are more important than anything else. All lessons and grades are focused around food. Worksheets are pieces of nori to chew on at home. 

In sixth grade the students are divided into learning tracks: Gifted and Gourmet (GAG), Becoming a Real Foodie (BARF), and Remedial Eating to Change Habits (RETCH). Minerva is placed away from her friends in RETCH and meets a group of kids that share some of her feelings about food. They like what they like, but they don’t like everything, and wonder why the school thinks that’s so wrong.

When one of her new friends suggests that her food aversions might be due to her being a supertaster, Minerva become determined to find out if that is the case. For Minerva, being “super” anything would be a big upgrade. 

I loved all the puns and character names (e.g. Principal Butcher and Mr. Kreplach), and I also appreciated that this was a book about picky eaters that didn’t end with a miraculous conversion. Kudos to Lucianovic, and thanks for a great read.