I adored this book. Alice is a wonderfully brave and interesting protagonist and I loved the descriptions of Paris (and her other life as a baker!) The mystery itself was gripping and I loved the writing style. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series and dive back into Alice's adventures. Perfect for fans of the Murder Most Unladylike series.

A fun, fast-paced adventure story with a relatable, brave heroine at the centre! A wonderful book for children, either read together or for those able to read it alone. I haven't read the first book, but this could definitely be read as a standalone (although I will be recommending the series to my niece!)

Alice is living a double life, on one hand an extremely talented patisserie chef and the second as a child spy. I loved the undercurrent of historical events that are woven through the story, as an element of historical fiction that children will still enjoy. None of the spy work is too scary for children. a huge range of children will love the multiple aspects of the story like the biscuits and cake intricacy, fashion, aeroplanes! Plus plenty of strong female characters!

I really enjoyed the first book in this action-packed adventure series and I was really excited to see what Alice would get up to next in her double-life as a baker and spy.

The World Fair has come to Paris and Alice suspects that France’s greatest flying machines may be a target for her enemies. But no one will listen to a young baker. So, Alice must use all her espionage tricks to keep her new friends safe and uncover the dark plot that is haunting the Fair.

The illustration of Alice running through Paris between each chapter was a literal depiction of the flow of the book and I really enjoyed it. I think I’d have liked some more illustrations throughout the book because there are some very visual themes in the book (baking, fashion, the World Fair) but the writing did a good job of painting these pictures.

As someone who has been to Paris a few times, I really enjoyed walking through its streets while it was decorated for the World Fair. The author conjures such vivid, colourful images of the city and I really enjoyed following Alice through it.

One of my favourite things in the first book was the gorgeous, detailed descriptions of Alice’s bakes and it was still present in the sequel. Sarah Todd Taylor’s writing appeals to every sense and you can’t help but become thoroughly immersed in the delicious smells and tastes. A word of warning: these books will make you hungry!

Alice’s mentor Claude holds all of the usual misogynistic views of 19th century men and Alice challenges him on it. Although it’s her secret career, Alice takes spying very seriously and she isn’t prepared to be distracted by trivial matters. I really enjoyed that we got to see more of Alice’s feisty side in this book and I hope that continues in future adventures.

This instalment was also full of strong, smart girls and I loved it. Collectively, they stopped complete disaster from happening and I’m still not sure what Claude (or any other man) was doing throughout the whole thing! The sisterhood was really strong in this story and I finished it feeling very empowered.

The Alice Éclair books are packed full of madcap adventure, bright evocative imagery and loveable, charming characters and friendships. They are perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and young readers who are looking for a unique spy story.

What a fun, fast-paced adventure story with a relatable, brave heroine at the centre! I haven't read the first book, but this second story can definitely be read as a standalone (although I will be going back to read the first, having enjoyed this so much).
I loved that Alice was living a double life - one as a very talented patisserie chef and the second as a child spy in the run up to world war two. There was the undercurrent of historical events - such as the large number of spying between countries in the development of aviation warfare -but none felt too threatening for this age group. Instead, there was a marvellous adventure filled with intricately iced biscuits, models on fashion shows and glider planes - and lots of strong female characters who were both beautiful and talented. Hurrah!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

This was my first children’s book of the year and I really enjoyed it - combining bakery, fashion, engineering and spying, it was packed full of adventures on the streets of 1920s Paris. I hadn’t read the previous one in the series but that didn’t matter - there were occasional references to previous events and characters that I didn’t know about but that didn’t disrupt my enjoyment of the story at all.

Definitely a book that can be enjoyed by lots of readers. Will be going back to read the previous one in the series.

Thank you to @nosycrow and @netgalley for the digital copy to read.

This is such a fun book! Alice is a young and very talented baker who is also a novice spy. She and her mother are exhibiting at the World Fair in Paris where there are fashion shows, a food hall and an engineering hall amongst the showcase that Paris has for the rest of the world.
Alice is also an apprentice spy and her mentor Claude has a serious task for her to carry out whilst at the World Fair. Alice has to juggle her cooker commitments and her spying mission in order to save her two new friends.
We need more books about Alice!

From the opening boat ride on the Seine to the daring high-flying climax, this is a fantastic spy novel by an measure.

Alice is a fantastic protagonist, curious and open, and not afraid to make mistakes. I just wish I could have eaten some of her cakes!

With a satisfying mystery at its heart and a fun cast of characters, this is a brilliant middle grade read perfect for fans of Robin Stevens.

A SPOONFUL OF SPYING is the second book in featuring Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire. I haven’t read the first instalment, A RECIPE FOR TROUBLE, but it was easy to find myself wrapped up in Alice’s story.

A SPOONFUL OF SPYING is a fast-paced espionage escapade full of glamourous high-fashion and delicious description of Alice’s mouth-watering bakes. The story is set during the Paris World Fair, with dangerous villains trying to steal aviation secrets, a kidnapping, and secrets at a runway show.

Alice is spunky and determined, a great protagonist who sticks to her guns and puzzles out solutions to the challenges the case throws her way. I really liked the variety of interests show between Alice and the two other prominent female characters. Alice has her very serious, important role as a spy, but she’s also a brilliant baker, and delighted by the gorgeous dresses at the fashion show. One of side characters is a runway model, while the other is an aeroplane engineer.

A SPOONFUL OF SPYING is an exciting adventure, with a captivating mystery, and a cast of really charming characters.

I really enjoyed A SPOONFUL OF SPYING, and I look forward to going back to read A RECIPE FOR TROUBLE, and to finding more of Alice’s future adventures.

With her signature combination of delicious patisserie and daring spycraft, Sarah Todd Taylor has definitely risen to the technical challenge of writing a sequel to match, and exceed, book one. Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire: A Spoonful of Spying is a showstopper!

I adored the first Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire book, A Recipe for Trouble, and so much of what I loved about it is also present in this, the second book. Alice is still brave and bold, diving in to the life of a spy. This time it's more organised, and she has support and direction from the very start. This means we get straight into the adventure.
We still have the beautiful, mouth-watering descriptions of cakes and pastries and other sweet treats. Alice is off to the Paris World Fair to show off her baking skills, and there are more descriptive passages of the most incredible patisserie to tease the senses. But there's more than just baking to arouse delight here. Alice finds herself thrown into the world of high end fashion, and the descriptions of the dresses and outfits is every bit as ambitious and delicious as that of the cakes.

One thing I loved in book one is that it isn't two separate worlds, the spying and the baking. They're cleverly woven together right through the book as Alice uses her baking skills to help her navigate the world of international espionage. There's more of that here, as every different element is skilfully woven together into an intricate piece of lacework.

As well as cakes and dresses, we have planes, science and engineering. These books are set at a wonderful time for invention and innovation, and with the World Fair setting it's the perfect opportunity to really show that off. I loved the contrasts and connections between the catwalk and the hangers, as the World Fair, and this book, celebrates so many different areas of achievement.

And Alice is right in the middle of it all, trying to track down some spies responsible for taking out some other agents and trying to get away with vital secrets. She really is the most engaging heroine, and I adore her determination and her creativity. I also love how she doesn't have that silly hero thing of trying to do everything on her own and pushing other people away. Alice knows how and when to ask for help, and how to use the people around her for support and assistance and I really admire that about her. The plot is exciting, building slowly and steadily up from a mystery to a puzzle to a dramatic, daredevil conclusion with perfect pacing.

A deliciously plotted and paced novel, with a very sweet heroine.

Alice Eclair - A spoonful of spying
By Sarah Todd Taylor
Published by Nosy Crow

Alice Éclair leads an exciting double life! Baker, cake maker, icing sugar decorator!!Then her super spy sense of curiosity kicks in & she is on the hunt to save the day!!

Inventors and artists have gathered in Paris for the World Fair. Creativity is at its best.
But Alice Éclair has two roles to play; keeping her mum sweet creating the most beautiful cakes whilst keeping her eyes peeled after a kidnapping centred around aviation.
Alice suspects that someone or something is in terrible danger, but no one will believe her. Is it her young age or her lack of experience? So she takes it upon herself to make enquiries, collect her evidence & take things to new heights!

Surrounded by enemy spies in not one but two venues, Alice needs to use every trick in her recipe book! Brave, determined and with her friends safety at the top of her list, Alice and her super spy charm have a job to do.

Will she keep her promise to stop the most beautiful gowns being copied?
Will she stop France's greatest invention from falling into the wrong hands?

Pick yourself up a copy of this superb second adventure to discover how Alice Éclair by Sarah Todd Taylor solves her second secret mission!

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of children’s literature.

#Netgallery
#Aliceeclaire
#nosycrow
#sarahtoddtaylor

Alice Éclair is a baker by day and a spy at night or when the time arises. She meets up with Claude another spy to go on the next mission, but they lose track of a piece of the puzzle. When her mother gets a spot at The Taste of the World pavilion, she now knows why they are front and center. She can see everything.

This is a lovely spy book, it’s a quick read with loads of interesting settings and items. It is full of detail which kept me engaged and I’m sure will do the same with a younger audience. Alice is a great character and you need to read to find out what she’s up to. Looking forward to more on this series by Sarah Todd Taylor.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Nosy Cow for a copy for an honest review.

The second book in this series is just as well written (and as exciting) as the first book was. Alice is very accomplished, a star baker and now a spy (probably a better baker). The children were very excited to hear that I had the second book and badgered me till we started reading it. Very satisfying adventure.

Having Previously Read the 1st Alice Eclair Novel, I was Hyped for the Next Novel in the Series & It Did Not Disappoint!
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).

My 8 year old daughter read this book in 24 hours which is high praise indeed! The plot was very exciting and the richness of the language really appealed as well as the plot twist at the end. Alice foils Victor and Paul's plans to steal the design for Sophie's glider, good wins out!

Perfect for competent middle-grade readers who love both spying and baking, this series is pure class. Packed with action and French panache, it is sublimely plotted, superbly written and has the effortless air of chic sophistication about it.

With the world's best inventors and artists descending on Paris for a World Fair, Alice is assigned to a dangerous undercover spying mission: to find out the identity of the enemy spies who are trying to steal the secrets behind a new aeroplane invention whilst also dazzling the fair with her baking talents.

But when agents start disappearing and her new friend is put in danger, Alice has to forget the baking and cook up a plan to save them all. Can she prove herself to the other far more experienced French spies?

With an excellent plot and lots of pacy and dynamic action, this is an engaging and mouth-watering read. As well as whipping up the genius combination of spying and patisserie, Sarah Todd Taylor has also included trains and planes within the first two books, making it comparable to the epic Adventures on Trains series. Stories set in Paris always seem to prove pretty special and the fact Alice's adventures are dated just before the World War II, gives the story a really authentic feel.

As if that isn't enough, Alice's spying adventure also takes her into the world of fashion, prompting a very clever plot twist. Although Alice comes across as a rather grown-up character for her age, I particularly love how she embraces her mistakes and her personality and determination is endearing. She's definitely a female Bond in the making - quick-witted, personable and charming. The world is definitely as elegant as Bond's with super high stakes. Wrapped up in a front cover by Beatriz Castro, which is as pretty as pink icing, DO NOT underestimate the power of this 'cosy' read - it seriously packs a punch!

The second in the very exciting new series about Alice Eclair. This is a worthy successor to the first in the series and adds the author to the list of excellent crime writers for young people, who are writing at the moment. There is intrigue, fashion, Paris and above all there is cake!!

After Alice's first adventure, A Recipe for Trouble, I wondered if and how Sarah could pull off another spectacular tale.
I am delighted that she has far exceeded my hopes and expectations. 

This is an adventure packed with unashamed panache, gusto, bravery and adventure worthy of famed Belgians, Tintin and Hergé. 

But this is by no means a copy. It stands tall and proud like one of Alice Éclair's own culinary creations, with layers of mystery to unravel and countless textures and flavours. All this amidst a Parisian backdrop of high fashion, aviation, and a world fair. Truly the only thing Sarah hasn't provided is the smells and tastes of Alices cooking. For that, the only solution is to buy your own cakes and pastries to eat along with the adventure!

It doesn't shy away from failure and the lessons and costs it brings. The cast is engaging and highlights that women of the era in real life were also at the forefront of engineering and flight. I am so pleased that we see this in writing, as it is often assumed quite wrongly that women were nothing but models, cooks and housewives.

So, for me, this is a MUST-READ. It hits all the right notes in all the right places to make it a firm favourite for adventure-loving kids. It also sets another high bar for Sarah to clear for the next book. 

Sit back and enjoy a rollercoaster of a ride that takes the reader from the glam of the catwalk, up into the skies and along the crowded streets and waterways of Paris.

Alice Éclair, Spy Extraordinaire! A Spoonful of Spying Alice Éclair, #2

By Sarah Todd Taylor

This book started with a bang.. Alice is a baker and also a spy…and she is on the chase to rumble another spy ring who are committing espionage against France.. and after failing that mission (but saving a woman from drowning). Then she is sent to the Paris World Fair to make sure that there is nothing unsavoury going on in the airplane exhibition and when Alice suspects there is no one believes her…


This is a really good book and it has thrills and laughs and lessons being learnt… it moves at a fast pace and is well written, but I did have some difficulties with it as I had not read book 1.. mainly was Uncle Robert a good person or the enemy.. who were Isabella and Leo? Who kidnapped them? I think that this book is best read after reading book 1 just so you know all that has happened before.. you can read it as a stand alone but you wont get the full amount out of it.

I think I may have to go back and read book 1 to tie up all the loose ends.. I would have liked to see more of the World Fair, but this was a great introduction to Alice and I would like to see more.

#AliceÉclairSpyExtraordinaireASpoonfulofSpying #NetGalley #Spy #Thriller

A SPOONFUL OF SPYING is Alice's second adventure. She's a proper spy this time, part of an existing network and has official missions with them. It was nice to have her in a team, rather than on her own. Yes, she's dealing with being looked down on for being a child by some of them, but it means she can call on back up, intel from others, and have someone to talk things over with.

The world fair is such a great setting - so many people coming in and out, so many inventions on display. There is plenty of chance for spies to pass notes or gather secrets from the new machines. Plus there's all the rivalry over the fashion shows, which means this book has a mix of yummy food, beautiful dressing, and thrilling planes.

I loved the inclusion of the planes, and the fact it meant there were a few aerial scenes (including a chase!) I'm a physicist so anything with STEM is a big draw for me, and planes are great examples of engineering (and the fact that the main engineer we spend time with is a girl! Please more girls in STEM in books!))

It is never quite said who is after the new plane information, but it's guessable from some historical knowledge. The absence of that fact lets the book focus on the adventure side of the spying more, the hunt for clues and the uncertainty of who the investigation should focus on.

This is turning into a great UKMG series and I look forward to more instalments.

This was a delightful, fast-paced adventure perfect for young readers! It lightly touches on some 1930's historical context, but these details flow easily around the main focus on Alice Eclair, a youthful spy who finds herself in Paris at the World's Fair. As she dips into the worlds of fashion, gourmet foods, and aviation, the narrative beautifully conveys a sense of wonder and fascination. Alice is relatable and easy to like, and so are the friends she makes along the way. I highly recommend it!