Taste Test

Nora Henderson learned to cook in her father’s North Carolina barbecue joint. Christian Van Lorton honed his skills as the son of a New York City celebrity chef. Now they’re competing to win a $50,000 scholarship to culinary school in Paris. A cooking competition reality show for teenagers is such a good idea that it’s not surprising a Top Chef spinoff for teens is actually in the works. Debut author Fiore persuasively details the constraints of being on this kind of show, from the strict security measures to the way producers try to pump up rivalries to increase ratings. Where she’s less believable is in the idea that the teens are still taking classes and juggling papers on culinary history amid their cooking challenges, and, more importantly, in her depiction of Nora and Christian’s is-it-hate-or-is-it-love relationship, in which their chemistry plays second fiddle to too many obnoxious exchanges. Justice, love, and the best chef prevail, but the story’s overly broad strokes, including a melodramatic sabotage subplot, undermine its potential pleasures. Ages 12–up. Agent: Hannah Brown Gordon, Foundry Literary + Media. (Aug.)