Phineas L. MacGuire . . . Gets Cooking!

Phineas L. MacGuire #4

by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Chemistry in the kitchen? Phineas L. MacGuire applies his science skills to culinary creations in this food-tastic tale from the bestselling author of Chicken Boy .

Phineas L. MacGuire—scientist extraordinaire—has a new cooking dinner every night. He may be a genius, but he knows nothing about following a recipe. A pinch? A dash? A smidge? This doesn’t seem very scientific . A pound of spaghetti? Salt on brownies? Lemon in biscuits? Why, these recipes look a little funky. But he’d better learn quickly if he and his friends are going to win the $10,000 Bake-Off prize. And to complicate matters, school bully Evan Forbes has taken a liking to Phineas’s brownies…too much of a liking. As in, if Phineas can’t make Evan enough brownies, he’ll get clobbered for sure. Fortunately for Phineas, he has the help of his friends, and even better, he soon discovers that cooking is kind of like chemistry. So the whole recipe thing might just work out—as long as he can keep his cool in the kitchen.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

While Frances O'Roark Dowell (Dovey Coe, The Secret Language of Girls, Trouble the Water) is best known for her award-winning novels, she also hosts the popular "Off-Kilter Quilt" podcast, where she talks about her latest quilt projects with friends and fellow quilters around the globe. Her own little corner of the globe is Durham, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and a dog named Travis. Connect with her online at FrancesDowell.com.

Reviews

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mac is a scientist, but when his mom decides that she deserves more free time and that Mac will take over cooking dinners for the family, Mac discovers that cooking *is* science. He has his mishaps, but he chalks it all up to learning experiences. Between helping his friends develop an award-winning recipe for a cooking show contest and dealing with a bully at school, Mac believes that the scientific method has all the answers... but does it?

This was a surprisingly funny romp that's great for science-minded young readers. It's a shame that the illustrations and cover feel so dated (the book just came out in 2014!).

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all the cooking and chemistry that this author deftly combines into a funny and stressful look at the lives of some elementary friends (and one bully).

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book! I would highly recommend this book.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best book. My children got easily bored, as did I. I see where the author was going, but it just didn’t work.

[Charnetta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good

[Lahars_little_library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ramblings. Not a focused plot.

[Tiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute .. not a fan of the writing style .. also..lacks plot ?

[Paddy Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This book is a must read for people who love cooking like me and love science. This book teaches how important your imagination is and how you can turn anything into reality.

[Cee Os · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute for young children. It talks about cooking, science and bullies.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great family read. I enjoyed how many complex science concepts were explained in simple, humorous ways. My girls enjoyed this book.

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phineas MacGuire, budding 4th grade scientist, is suddenly given the task of cooking dinner for the family. The problem is--he doesn't know how to cook. Once he learns that cooking is just like chemistry he puts everything in to learning the science of good cooking. Many mishaps happen that get in his way of success, including a bully that wants a daily batch of brownies and unexpected results of his cooking trials. But in the end he does learn a thing or two about cooking as well as makes a new unexpected friend.

The illustrations are numerous, enjoyable to look at, humorous and make the story go even faster.

This story is a quick read and a lot of fun. Not only did I learn new things about science and cooking, I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout. The characters are wonderful and Phineas is extremely likeable. There is a perfect level of the gross out factor for everyone. I have not read the first books in this series, but I look forward to it. This book would be an excellent read aloud for grades 2-4 classrooms as well as a fun book to read for grades 2 and up. It is written on a reading level of 4.9.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun scientific journey with Phineas L. MacGuire! This adventure introduces chemistry in a way that is often times overlooked: cooking. So much chemistry was covered that I was able to count this in with my daughter’s homeschooling; a nice break from our physical science text book. Super 4th grade scientist Phineas not only tackles the culinary arts he is forced to confront the much more challenging situation of bulling. An exciting addition in a wonderful series that kids will love.

[Rebecca Gatzlaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I love the story and the themes of the book. The book talks about bullying and how to stand up for yourself. It also teaches children to be creative and to not judge a person. Here is a video of my review
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3t4T36QrAs

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book. Mac has a great scientific vocabulary but still thinks like a kid. Parts were witty and may be list on younger readers. Yet there were some funny parts that would enjoyable for any age.

[Candida Stamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

We got this book in 3 parts from our cheerios boxes. They were cute little books. I would recommend them as a quick read for a school aged kid. I liked the way they talked about bullying.

[Dustin Overschmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is my cousins book that he got from a box of Cheerios. pretty good book though.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story. The child will learn one way to deal with a bully, as well as a lot of cooking tips and facts.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th Phineas L. MacGuire book. I love Phineas. This book deals with bullies and baking brownies and science. It works, trust me.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! In addition to enjoying the plot and the characters I learned how to make buttermilk from it!

[Linda Jakubowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters that you can relate to. wonderful illustrations.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book with my son. Great combination of science, cooking, and over-arching anti-bullying and friendship theme. Highly recommend for elementary kids.

[Lizanne Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2017 Nutmeg elementary, fourth grade, science, bully, friendship

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read aloud.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elemetary

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book.

[Erik D]

MS science series
Frances O'Roark Dowell Phineas L. MacGuire . . . Gets Cooking! (Phineas L. MacGuire #4) (2014) Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. Phineas is a science genius, but that does not equate to genius in the kitchen. When his mom complains that their eating habits need to change for the better, because she’s having difficulty losing the last five pounds of her weight-loss goal, she decides it will. And Phineas will be the solution that is the problem of their meal preparation. She tells Phineas the he’s now in charge of the kitchen at home! Of course his scientific mind starts a whirring as he tries to figure out the best approach to his new challenge. When Phineas starts cooking dinner his chemistry knowledge comes to life. Each ingredient is spelled out in its chemical compound form from baking soda to lemon juice. When Phineas’ best friend Ben approaches him about a cooking contest with a prize for a $10,000 plus kitchen (and pocket the winnings rather than get the kitchen), the two decide to hatch a plan to win. However, when they realize their best friend Aretha has some great ideas as well, they include her in their scheming. This book does a great job of breaking up some age-old stereotypes by demonstrating a boy can master the kitchen. However, by making the boy in question a “scientist” or “boy genius” a valuable opportunity to break stereotypical genre roles as missed. Chalking up his interest in cooking to science avoids taking on conventions with any kid of veracity. This book does an expert job at applying science to something not typically thought of as…science, but culinary science is wonderfully detailed and McDaniels’s illustrations do a great job of adding life to an already exciting read albeit though a monochrome shaded palette. A fun read for any age this 4th book in the series carries the previous 3 books very well and solidifies an avid readers fan-ship. A great way to introduce science to unsuspecting students, this book would make a great addition to a class reading list, or library for primary and middle school. It can also be used as a science tie-in for home economics classes or chemistry.
Target audience: Grades 3-7.