What's cooking with Katie?

As a fourth grade teacher, I was surprised by the amount of students who want to be chefs when they grow up and who regularly watch the food network. So my idea for this book was born.

Katherine McKenna loves to cook. She says, "The vast variety of foods and recipes inspire me. The textures and colors excite me. And the smells, well, the smells are intoxicating." She dreams of one day becoming a world class chef who competes in the Iron Chef competition. In my book, What's Cooking With Kate, twelve year old Kate is the middle child in her family. She is not athletic like her big brother Matt, nor is she adorable like her dancing little sister, Megan.

One day when her parents are unexpectedly detained, Kate gets her chance to shine by cooking an important business dinner for her Dad. With the help of her best friend, Kim, a variety of humorous mishaps occur including being teased by the school bully, having a chance meeting with her secret crush, and a run-in with the town paparazzi. Even with all the chaos, Kate manages to make a good impression on her Dad's boss by serving a gourmet meal.

But that is not the end of the story. When an embarrassing picture of Kate is published in the town paper, she wants to run and hide. But her roller coaster ride life will reach new heights when she is asked to host a kid's cooking show. Hopefully, a Most Creative Lunch Contest in school will help her pick her co-host.

I have been a teacher for over twenty years and received the Golden Apple Teacher's Award. I have been published in Appleseeds, Boys' Quest, Children's Playmate, Cobblestone, Faces, Fun For Kidz, Hopscotch For Girls. and Story Friends. I have done Author Visits to schools. My book is full of action and laughs but also teaches as I use recipe vocabulary introducing readers to cooking lingo. Thank you for considering representing my book of approximately 22,000 words. I look forward to hearing from you.