Dessert is a girl with flair - and a love of dessert, as her name shows! With the encouragement of her teacher, Mrs. Howdy-Doody, she marches to her own drummer - but when she makes some bad decisions, can she fix things in her own way?

Dessert's family isn't completely crazy, but they do have their little quirks, as do Dessert's classmates and especially her off-the-wall teacher! Without being didactic, this is a fun and engaging story about willpower and fixing your mistakes. Readers will sympathize with Dessert's trials and tribulations - even when they are her own fault - and wait breathlessly to see if she makes it through her challenge!

I'd like to see more of this character - and find out more about her nemesis, Amy D. (why doesn't she like Dessert?) her younger siblings, who seem to have the seeds of some fun stories ahead, and her classmates. I especially appreciated the ingenious idea for school fund-raising - teachers take note! no more bored kids pressuring relatives into buying magazine subscriptions!

Verdict: Recommended for: Fancy Nancy fans (these little girls are growing up and will be looking for strong characters with flair!) and fans of solid favorites such as Clementine and Ramona.

ISBN: 978-1416963851; Published May 2009 by Simon & Schuster; ARC supplied by publisher; Purchased for the library

It was a simple book about a girl entering third grade where she meets her eccentric teacher Mrs. Howdy Doody. Mrs. Howdy Doody teachers her students that they need to march to their own drum. She is heading a fund raiser to build a tree house at the school. Students are asked to give up something for two weeks and find people to sponsor them. Dessert's parents own a Fondue Restaurant and have enough children to keep them busy. Dessert decides they should eat dessert first because she is marching to her own drum and the parents disagree. She finally convinces them to eat dessert first and they find that dinner time is more peaceful. When her mother makes a delicious treat for a special occassion Dessert eats it. She finds a creative way to fix the situation, keep her pledge of giving up what is most precious for two weeks. ( )

Third-grader Donahue Penelope Schneider’s nickname is “Dessert.” She loves dessert. She also loves her teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, and her family: Daddy and Mummy, and three younger siblings, plus their devoted dog, Chunky. Dessert comes from a “food family.” Her parents run the Fondue Paris restaurant. Dessert has her own way of doing things, and, after several tries, she convinces her family to eat dessert first—before the entrée at dinner, instead of after.

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/812Books/review/dessert-first/ ( )

Third-grader Dessert's love of treats leads to a change in her large family's dinner routine, then an awful mistake, and later a true sacrifice after her teacher, Mrs. Howdy Doody, urges students to march to the beat of their own drums.

Dessert Schneider marches to the beat of her own drummer, whether it's bribing her younger sister to clean her room or convincing her family that they should start serving dessert first. But when she spoils a special surprise, she'll have to figure out a way to make it up to her family.

Dessert's got an interesting family and a super third-grade teacher, although I wish we got more details about the background characters. Her nemesis, Amy D., is completely one-tone and the conflict would feel more urgent if the plot were a little bit tighter. Still, the imperfect, spunky Dessert will appeal to fans of Moxy Maxwell and Clementine and the descriptions of food seem to melt in your mouth.

Full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/04/book-review-dessert-first.html ( )