by Wende and Harry Devlin
Maggie and her grandmother live on a cranberry farm. Every Thanksgiving the grandmother bakes her award winning cranberry bread. This bread is coveted by outsiders and is highly guarded by the suspicious grandma–that is she keeps the recipe behind a brick in the fireplace.
The grandma and Maggie have another Thanksgiving tradition. They each invite a guest to dinner to share in their feast. Maggie, to the displeasure of her grandmother, invites her close and helpful friend, Mr. Whiskers. The grandmother invites Mr. Horace whom she believes is new in town.
Why a paranoid grandmother would invite strangers to her home for Thanksgiving is beyond me but this is still a fun Thanksgiving book.
Mr. Whiskers is an unrefined friend of Maggie whose manners and grace are lacking. He is also the number one suspect in her grandmother’s book. She is sure that he is out to steal her recipe and treats him accordingly. Mr. Horace, on the other hand, carries a gold cane, smells like lavender, and is impeccable in manners and grace. His motives are irrefutable in the grandmother’s eyes, and she treats him with kindness and warmth.
However, looks can be deceiving. This writers use a bait and switch tactic to prove this point. An adult reading this book will not have any problems figuring out which of the two guests is the true crook, but kids will be surprised. Each time I read this to my daughter she expresses disbelief when the true villain is revealed. She laughs at her own error in judgement and is very pleased with the outcome.
There is also a cranberry bread recipe in the back of the book. I have not tried it.
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