This is a fun read set in 1930s Paris with our lead protagonist, Alice Eclair who works with his mother in their patisserie. But she's not just an incredible teenager when it comes to being able to create masterpieces in cake form, but also as one of the finest (and youngest) spies in Paris.

The world building is wonderful, and Sarah Todd Taylor brings it all to life from the descriptions of the delicate creations the Eclair ladies make, to Paris itself. We're in the era that would be known as The Great Depression, and I liked how there are also hints of what is happening in the nearby country of Germany with the rise of Hitler. This attention to detail is so important, especially in children's books as it helps set the scene even in fiction.

From her patisserie, we then find ourselves travelling with Alice on the ‘Scarlett Express’ as she strives to protect France.

There's mystery, and there's intrigue, Alice Eclair is written so well and I love her desire for truth, and for doing the right thing. She's strong, and she's kind - a character who children will enjoy reading about and her belief and way of living is often the way we want our children to be like.

I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to review this, and hope it's a series many children will love.

once saw Sarah Todd Taylor do a talk about Max the Detective Cat and just knew it would be fantastic for children, so I was delighted to see I could review her latest book, also for middle-grade readers of 9 years plus - Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Recipe for Trouble.

Alice is in a perfect position to be trained as a spy, even though she is 13. She is astounding customers at a Parisian patisserie, so she certainly gets to see much of life as she creates and serves her delightful sweet treats of pastries and croissants.

Alice’s mission is to infiltrate a society gathering in a mansion to retrieve information. Clues then lead her to getting onboard a luxury train (all very Agatha Christie for kids and it works) to complete her mission.

There is the great setting for its pre-war time and enough jeopardy to keep young readers intrigued and to keep those pages turning, with the twists and turns.

It is great to enthral children as they embark on their own holidays and adventures.

Rated 4 1/2 stars on my blog

By day, Alice Éclair helps her mother in a bakery but by night, she’s a spy. When she receives a message from her uncle that an enemy secret agent is up to no good, she must board a fancy train ride to stop them. But it seems that every passenger has a secret! This fun mystery adventure definitely has some Christie vibes and will be the perfect fit, if you have a Wells & Wong-shaped hole in your life. There were definitely some twists that I didn’t foresee and a pace that just keeps running. Alice is a very loveable heroine, who I can’t wait to meet again. I just hope she brings more of her delicious baked goods!

Delectable pastries and high-stakes espionage are the perfect ingredients for a recipe for success in Sarah Todd Taylor’s newest series that introduces readers to the thrilling life of Alice Éclair, a spy extraordinaire.

Expert baker Alice Éclair is a whizz at whipping up the most delectable cakes and pastries at famous Parisian pâtisserie Vive Comme L’Éclair. But once the macarons and mille-feuille have been baked and another day in the kitchen comes to an end, Alice embraces her secret life as a spy. Racing around the streets of Paris following secret notes and ciphers from a mystery sender, Alice has been harnessing her spying skills. Now she is ready for her most important mission yet, track down a rogue agent aboard the opulent Sapphire Express. But will Alice be able to complete her mission or will secret papers fall into the wrong hands and put lives at great risk…

This is a step up from Todd Taylor’s other well-known super sleuth, Max the Detective Cat. Alice Éclair serves up more peril, more twists, more thrills, and it is spy-tacular. Set in France, just before the beginning of the Second World War - lots of period details and some historical context are neatly woven into the story - readers are thrust head-first into a fast-paced and intriguing mystery that seamlessly mixes baking and spying.

Stirred, whisked and baked to perfection, this is the kind of book I love to read; a journey on a train of grandeur, a scrumptious mystery, double crossings, a wonderful cast of characters - all of whom are potentially up to no good - and enough red-herrings to keep me guessing, I was gobbling up the pages as quickly as I would snaffle one of Alice’s mille-feuilles.

Brave, bold, resourceful and with a toolkit of spy skills hidden up the sleeves of her chef’s whites, Alice is one of my favourite detectives yet. She delicately creates cocktail biscuits one minute and is then spying on passengers and sneaking into locked rooms the next. Keeping her real reason for being aboard the train a secret, Alice ‘kneads’ all of her wits and spy craft if she is to accomplish her first mission.

Between having my taste-buds tantalised by an assortment of mouth-watering cakes, it is an immense amount of fun trying to piece together the clues alongside Alice. Like a good soufflé, the story rises to perfection and leaves the reader wanting more. And we won’t have to wait long with book two hitting the shelves in January 2023 (and I may have just been given an early look at it thanks to NetGalley and the lovely peeps at Nosy Crow).

With huge thanks to Allen & Unwin and Nosy Crow for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 7+.

This book is packed full of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
The mystery is well plotted with great characterisation with a atmospheric setting.
The descriptions of food were wonderful. I'm sure both children and adults will enjoy this one.
My thanks go to the publishers, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

I loved reading about Alice’s adventures! The lure of codes and cake drew me in and I wasn’t disappointed. There was excitement at every turn and heaps of edge-of-your-seat peril. The codes added intrigue and mystery.
Alice is a determined, brave and creative character - she was a joy to read about! The descriptions of the cakes were mouthwatering. Why are my cupboards are full of oatcakes and digestive biscuits, not petit fours, sugar biscuits with edible gold leaf and croissants?!
I hope there will be another Alice adventure soon!
A really enjoyable book - read it with a pain au chocolat in hand!

A cozy mystery for middle grade readers coupled with Parisian charm? Check. A whip-smart protagonist? Check. Ciphers, betrayals, and the promise of more mysterious and adventures to come? Check, check, and check.

This book is THE perfect checklist of everything fun about the mystery genre, no matter your age. The elegant setting and descriptions of the patisserie creations made my toes curl delightfully and my stomach grumble, but it was plucky Alice and her mystery-solving skills that kept me reading.

Thanks to @NetGalley for keeping me 'stocked' with holiday reading! I devoured this in one day. Fabulous story; great plot and range of characters. A different twist to this book.
I'm looking forward to the next one - @scraphamster @NosyCrow - there will be a next one?
#RfP

The children loved this, but the adults loved it just as much. The story of a talented girl trying to do her best but deceived into unknowingly doing the wrong thing. A tale of daring and bravery. A great female lead backed up by a handful of also great female characters. It was so good that the boys really didn't notice the lack of leading good male roles till we told them. A bit like murder on the orient express for kids ( without the murder)

Sarah Todd Taylor has done it again - another masterpiece of writing to inspire our young (and slightly older) readers.

Alice Éclair is not only the finest pastry chef in all of Paris but she’s also one of the finest spies.

A story full of adventure, mystery and hope. Alice has been training for her biggest mission yet but who is it that is sending her these messages and could it really be who she suspects?

When Alice sets out as an undercover spy on the Sapphire Express to uncover a spy who is threatening France she is confident that she is doing the right thing. But what happens when your reality starts to unravel and you realise that things aren’t what they seem.

For Alice the answer is clear - you put things right.

Alice is a strong character - talented, focused and determined. A strong role model for anyone.

I really enjoyed this book - it is well written, fast paced and draws you in so that you are solving the many mysteries within.

What a fantastic start to what I’m sure will be a thrilling series. Filled with delightful descriptions, wonderful puzzle solving, and a good few action scenes. Alice felt like a well rounded character (clever and endearing but not without flaws) and I loved the inclusion of her mother’s sayings - allowing the reader to better understand this character without her needing to be present.

The only improvement that could be made would have been for this to be longer! More focus on Alice’s first introduction to spying and more time spent on Uncle Robert so that the reader could have got to know him more would have really elevated the end to a 5 stat read. The stakes would have been higher.

When I picked up this ARC I couldn’t help thinking it was a bit like a cozy mystery with a cooking theme. I have read some of these novels for adults and I always enjoy cooking theme coupled with the spy mystery. I was very excited to read this book!

Alice is a fantastic pastry chef, artist and spy! She makes some delicious French Patisserie and the descriptions of the feasts are fantastic. They made me want to make some myself! Alice’s talent is undeniable but her greatest skill is that she is very clever and skilled at solving clues, braking codes and following in her uncles footsteps.

Once embarking on the Sapphire express, Alice meets some brilliant characters. Penelope and Caron are her peers and these characters really bring colour to the story.
The mysterious plot is exciting and involving. I really enjoyed delving into Alice’s world and solving clues and cyphers along with her.

The plot is not too complex which is great for this age group of 9+, it is hugely exciting with twists and turns a plenty. This book is extremely uplifting and fun. Alice the protagonist is positive by nature which ensures a bright and exciting plot. The themes touched on in the plot if delved deeper into could need some more discussion to enable children to understand the sensitivity of the subject.

I really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to children who enjoy mystery and detective stories. The only thing that is missing is a recipe at the end of the book! Perhaps in code!

I have read many “crime adventure on train” stories before, both aimed at children and adults, and as such this could feel a little cliched, but Alice Eclair was still an enjoyable read and kept me guessing about everyone’s secrets. I think the intended audience would enjoy the adventure with Alice and perhaps be inspired to learn more about codes and baking (actually, it could be a great book for teachers, for cross-curricular work).

A delightful start to new series featuring Alice Eclair, the 13 year old patisserie genius, who is also being trained to be a spy by her uncle. When she sets out on a mission to catch another spy she has still to understand what her uncle means when he says "trust no one". This is an exciting mix of "adventures on trains" and "murder most unladylike" and is going to appeal to fans of both series, as well as creating its own fan base for the future.

Meet Alice Eclair. A perfect eye and very careful hands have made her one of Paris's best young cake makers and decorators, making sure her mother's establishment is a classy affair. Not bad for a thirteen year old. Oh, and a perfect eye and a very careful handler and remote trainer have also made sure she is a very competent young spy. Her first real mission will be to chase a traitor across the country – working behind the scenes on a posh sleeper train to the south of France, and hoping against hope that she can prevent documents allowing foreign agents to creep into the country from getting into nefarious hands. But while nobody would have her down as a spy, can she possibly leave behind her rookie status and find the baddy?

Make no mistake, this is a pell-mell riot of drama and action. The train's destination makes for an obvious deadline to fight against, the ruse that gets Alice on the vehicle in the first place can always be rumbled, and she still has to juggle her professional standards in the kitchen with her secret assignment. For an under-twelve audience this is just breathless, engaging stuff – just witness the early summary of the situation that makes you think this a sequel. It's not – it just needs to get things moving, and once things move, they never cease.

It's just... For an audience older than twelve this is really awkward. What she is supposed to do with a cake is beyond belief; what she is supposed to do when it comes to decorations on a rocking, speeding train is doubly so. Very little about her ruse rings true, and when the target reader knows little of the world of first class global travel (with apologies to those born with a Pullman silver spoon in their mouth) it needs to smack of the truth to lead the reader in. Heck, the reader doesn't even know when this is set, beyond a single reference to a real-world author, until it becomes really necessary. And don't get me started on how the English-speaking characters completely ruin the realism of any conversation they become a part of – is everyone now giving interjections of surprise in a second language, or does Alice also get to be fluent in English?!

So there are issues, and my doubts remain that the French cuisine aspects of the writing will be lapped up by all intended readers. But ignore the fantasy that the cooking is to be done in motion on board, and disregard the lack of realism in the character, and more, and you have as I say a rollicking ride. You will want her to crack all the codes, and see through all the people on board, where necessary, and most importantly get it all done in such a rarefied situation as a premiere kitchen. And you will relish finding out whether she manages it or not. The author, starting her second series with these pages, knows her way round a juvenile thriller and can deliver for that audience. I still hold by the theory a classic can be read by anyone anywhere, in whatever class of carriage – and I still hold by this being a disappointment to anyone outside the right age range. But in that age range? You're in for a journey.

I had this pegged as 5 star read as soon as Sarah shared the news of its coming. Presumptuous of me? Absolutely not.

Does this book live up to my expectations? Absolutely!

A wonderful confection of action, adventure and cake, that, like the train in the story – is NOT TO BE MISSED!

One slice will never be enough of Sarah's writing, and this series is a whole cake trolley worth of goodies waiting to find their way onto our plates.

Settle down with a cup of your favourite brew, and have cake on hand as this story really does whet the appetite.

Set in pre-WW2 France, the adventure introduces us to Alice Éclair, thirteen and already a highly skilled cake maker and decorator at Paris's famed pâtisserie, Vive Comme L'Éclair run by Alice's widowed mother.

By day Alice creates too-good-too-eat masterpieces, cakes for Paris's finest hotels and lucky customers. But in the last six months, she has led a double life. She has been training as a secret agent. Who the spymaster is, she isn't sure, but she has an idea.

Her latest training is an assignment to retrieve secrets stolen by a foreign spy and contained on microfilm. Secrets that she is told will jeopardise France's security! Why a girl for such an important task? Well, who really pays attention to a child?

Like her baking, Alice is a skilled agent and soon completes the task. But in so doing, she uncovers more than she could have dared possible. One thing leads to another, and her trusted spymaster seeds the idea of another mission. It is one Alice feels she can do, and wants to do, for France. But to complete the task she has to join France's most luxurious train, The Sapphire Express. But she can't go as a passenger, and enrols as a pastry chef!

From here on in, the chase is on, and in true Christie fashion, the plot, like a cake mix, thickens as the train speeds to its destination in Monte Carlo!

Whilst there are no herrings on the menu for Alice, there is certainly plenty of clues and false leads, assumptions that keep the plot bowling along and the mind engaged. I can't really say much more than this, but if you think of the very best adventures on trains, then you will not be far wrong.

As I said, 5 Star. Fans of Robin Stevens, Agatha Christie, and MG Leonard & Sam Sedgman will love this too.

A brilliant tale of a clever little girl who is one super sleuth. A great children’s book that any age can enjoy, even adults sometimes.

Mission Impossible Meets Nancy Drew
The introduction for this book from the publishers reads " Prepare to be whisked away on a scrumptious adventure as France’s newest spy sets off on her first mission!" and my goodness what follows is a triumphant story of espionage, page turning excitement, mouth watering desserts all set to the back drop of 1930s opulence aboard the wonderfully named Sapphire Express.
Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire A Recipe for Trouble is a brilliantly clever concept mixing the idea of an innocent patissier with the skill set of one of Churchill's SOEs. Alice - also known as Little Phantom - secures her first mission to discover the identity of L'Anguille (a duplicitous enemy agent) and retrieve important papers. Once on board, Alice discovers that everyone has secrets. Will she succeed in her first mission or will she be uncovered and removed from the train? There are some nail biting moments and 'mission impossible' style escapes that make this such a fantastic fast paced thriller for all readers aged 10+. Brilliantly written & an absolute gem of a story.  Thank you to Nosy Crow and NetGalley for this e-ARC to review.
This would be a perfect text for UKS2, particularly as this is clearly set before the invasion of France in 1940 and there is a little nod to the awful events that follow.
Without doubt a first rate read and this teacher reader cannot wait to discover more.

Alice Éclair may only be thirteen but she is already an exceptional baker at the Parisian patisserie, Vive Comme L'Eclair, where she spends her days designing mouthwatering cakes and pastries to astound her mother’s customers. If that isn't enough, for the past year, she's been following secret instructions designed to train her as a spy to help serve France in any way she can.

Having been instructed to gain entry to a society gathering at the mayor's mansion, and secretly retrieve information from an enemy agent, Alice is confident she can complete her assignment and maybe even meet her mysterious secret agent colleague. When clues lead to the famous and luxurious Sapphire Express, Alice finds herself on board with limited time to discover everything she needs to complete her work successfully. Even the best laid plans can go awry however, and Alice realises there is far more at stake than she could ever have imagined.

This is the first in a new children's series by Sarah Todd Taylor and is fun throughout with just enough jeopardy to keep the breath baited! Aimed at children aged 10+ Alice is an excellent main protagonist, expert in something the readers won't be, as well as having every day problems they will be all too aware of. Set before the Second World War the historical aspects are dealt with in such a way that the horrors to come will be obvious to any adults reading along but not to the age group it is aimed at.

My only gripe is that there was nothing to indicate beforehand when it it was set and I would have liked to know in advance. I plan to read this with my granddaughter but as she’s only eight I may wait a while. I will, however look out for the next in the series as I think she will eventually love Alice and I hope all the main protagonists will return in her future adventures.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed reading this and think Alice will be a popular addition to pre-teen bookshelves very soon.

I adored Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire!

Alice is a young girl in a Parisian bakery, and from our first meeting her it is clear that she is incredibly talented at patisserie work. The descriptions of her creations are unbelievable and mouth-watering. But there's so much more to Alice than just incredibly elaborate cake and pastry baking. She's also a spy!

It's a weird combination of ideas, to be sure, but somehow Sarah Taylor Todd makes it work brilliantly and the whole thing just comes across as truly inspired. There are links built in throughout, from Alice mapping out a floorplan for a heist style mission in icing on her workbench to using her patisserie skills to secure access to suspects in a spy chase across France! These links feel natural and organic and just incredibly clever. Her knowledge of baking helps her to be a better spy in some often quite surprising ways.

The spy elements are thrilling too. Some real nail-biting escapes and a thoroughly intriguing mystery, as Alice is sent to track down a dangerous spy smuggling vital paperwork on a train. As with all good spy mysteries there are twists and shocks and double-crosses and surprises the whole way.

The train itself, the Sapphire Express, is just gorgeous. I love how sumptuously it is described to us, as Alice explores more of its extravagant luxury. It really helps evoke the atmosphere of that pre-war period in vivid detail.

Alice herself is a really endearing heroine, the cast of characters around her are vivid, well depicted and fun, and this whole book just works really well, taking an odd little idea and making something really fun and unique out of it.

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire est un triomphe! (does that make my early copy an arc de triomphe?)