The Secret Ingredient

It will be no secret to readers that there are multiple ingredients missing from this bland debut volume of the Katie Lynn Cookie Company series. After Katie Lynn Cooke's father informs her they can't afford a trip to Florida to visit Grandma, Katie Lynn and her best friend, Tina, bake a batch of cookies using Grandma's recipe, plus her ""secret ingredient""--mayonnaise. Tina gives samples to a local restaurant owner who hires the girls to supply the dessert. After baking incessantly all summer, the two pals raise enough money to visit Katie Lynn's grandmother together. Yet when Katie Lynn and her friend tell Mrs. Cooke that they have earned enough for ""us"" to make the trip, the clueless woman assumes that ""us"" means Katie Lynn and her rather than Tina. With another leap of credibility, the young heroine solves the problem in a snap: ""I used the money to fly Grandma here to see us!"" Grandma suddenly appears on the doorstep and announces she's staying on permanently to help the girls bake and sell cookies. Katie Lynn gushes, ""Oh, Grandma! That would be so incredible!"" Readers may be inclined to agree. This title serves up little to satisfy youngsters' appetites; they may not stick around for seconds--Sandwiched!, the next installment. Ages 7-10. (Sept.)