Pish Posh

by Ellen Potter

Ultra-snobby Clara Frankofile has everything an eleven-year-old girl could want. She’s fabulously wealthy, she lives alone in a penthouse apartment with its own roller coaster, and all of New York City is afraid of her! Each night at the Pish Posh restaurant, she watches the glittery movie actresses and princesses, and decides who is important enough to stay and who she will kick to the sidewalk in disgrace. But Clara’s world is turned upside down when she discovers that a peculiar mystery is happening in the restaurant, right under her upturned nose.With the help of a whip-smart twelveyear- old jewel thief, Clara embarks on a wildly dangerous mission through the streets of New York to solve a 200-hundred-year-old secret.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Contemporary, Adventure

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 20, 2006

About the author

Ellen Potter is the author of many children's books, including the Olivia Kidney series, Pish Posh, SLOB, and The Kneebone Boy. Her non-fiction book, Spilling Ink; a Young Writer’s Handbook, was co-authored by Anne Mazer

Olivia Kidney was awarded Child magazine’s “Best Children’s Book Award” and was selected as one of the “Books of the Year” by Parenting magazine.

SLOB is on more than 10 state book award lists and was selected for the Junior Library Guild.

Spilling Ink; A Young Writer’s Handbook was a New York Public Library Top 100 Children’s Book for 2010 and a Children’s Literature Assembly 2011 Notable Book.

Her newest series is Piper Green and the Fairy Tree.

Reviews

[Molly Holsinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book. like LOVE this book. it’s probably one of my favorite books, and for sure one of my favorite childhood books. i picked it up at some half price books and since then i’ve read it probably 3 or 4 times and devour it every time. the story is so interesting to me and however wildly fantastical it is, i want to live like clara frankofile (aka clara bumf ;)) such a fun read, definitely recommend!!

[Chloe B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME!!!!! I read it a looooooong time ago, but I still think it's awesome!!!!! It's probably where I get a lot of my imagination from.... I'm not telling you why, though, find it for yourself, and you'll see. X-D

[Taylor Barney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pish Posh was a okay book. It's about a young girl who's parents who a restaurant named Pish Posh. Pish Posh is a high end restaurant. For only somebody's they would say. Carla the main character and daughter who has control over who is in the restaurant. Carla is not like a normal kid, she spends almost all of her time at the Pish Posh. She obsesses over who is in there and knowing everything that goes on. One day when Carla announces that a man named Dr. Piff is a nobody, he tells her that she doesn't know everything that happens in the restaurant. so Carla becomes obsessed on figuring out what he means. Along the way she meets a friend named Annabelle, who helps her solve the mystery of Pish Posh. Pish Posh's soup cook turns out to have a long history that is uncovered. I would not recommend if you don't like nonfiction or mystery's. personally I would not read this book a again because it was boring and to suspenseful.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a young reader and I was a little nervous to revisit it, but it REALLY holds up! Sophisticated concepts and a really fun plot. I would read 300 more pages of this book.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the cover, the name, and how stupid this looks, I really did like this. Don't judge a book by its cover. I love the ending.

[Kyisha Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book two stars but the ending was so slow and nonsensical I had to skim it. I don't like to skim but I needed this book over with. Plus the Dr.Piff stuff was creepy and not framed well, adults and children should not have secrets. There was potential here but the book tried to do too much. Just read something else.

[coley · Rating 4 out of 5]

PISH POSH!!!!! i don’t even know what to think of this book it’s so crazy in every way possible

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara is a spoiled, lonely rich girl. Each evening she rules the roost at Pish Posh (an exclusive restaurant owned by her parents) - one word from Clara and important people are instantly nobodies, banned from the restaurant and from the society pages. When she banishes a long-time family friend and loyal customer, her life changes. She becomes involved in a centuries old mystery and is determined to solve it along with the help of her new-found friend, thief extraordinaire, Annabelle.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 year old Clara Frankofile is used to the pampered life of seeing celebrities every day simply feet away from her and living in her own apartment. So whats a snobby rich girl to do when she discovers a mystery happening at her parents famous restaurant, become friends with a 12 year old jewel thief of course! So as Clara embarks on a mission of solving a impossible mystery I promise you wont be able to set down this book.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This book made a lot off sense to me. I tried reading this book before but I did not understand it. I tried reading it later and I absolutely loved it. It made more sense. if I had to give this book a rating 1 through 10 I would give it a 100. The book is about the=is girl who everyone is scared of. Her parents own a restaurant Read this book and you will find out what happens next.

[Sabrina Vosler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent book. Check out my review:

http://www.thebeautyofwordswritingblo...

and

http://whatswhatinwritingandreading.w...

[Ginger Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky

[cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

so silly. so extravagant. what a precocious little pish poshidy of a book. merry christmas, baby cole 🩷 PISH POSH TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time!

[Amy Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading and loving this book when I was the same age as Clara

[Kiera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara Frankofile is a rich girl who seems to have everything. She lives in a penthouse with several rooms all to herself such as a Brooklyn themed room, a carnival themed room, and a room with a giant tree for her to climb. In the morning, she reads the newspaper for any celebrity scandals or social faux pas. At night, she goes to her family's restaurant Pish Posh where her mom is hostess and her dad is head chef who constantly criticizes his staff with his French accent. While the kitchen staff is afraid of Clara's father, the patrons of Pish Posh are afraid of Clara pointing them out as a "Nobody" and making them leave.

Clara's life follows a set routine. She always wears the same little black dress and sunglasses that make her look older and more mature than she actually is. She eats the same meal of a tuna fish sandwich and tomato juice whenever she goes to Pish Posh. She always points out who is a "Nobody" (customers that have to leave) or a "Somebody" (customers that can stay) and no one protests.

However, Clara's predictable world is rocked when she dismisses long-time customer Dr.Piff as a "Nobody" and makes her question how well she knows people and what goes on at Pish
Posh. She later recruits a thief named Annabelle who stole her Pearls to unravel the mystery of her family and a chef at Pish Posh named Audrey.

[Addison Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Clara Frankofile has more power than any other eleven-year-old you will ever meet. In fact, she appears to be more of an adult than a child. Everyday, she sits outside her parents’ restaurant in New York City, where she decides who worthy of staying, and who must be forced to leave. As Pish Posh is a very high end place, Clara is very selective about who is allowed into the restaurant. Because of the position that Clara holds, many people are afraid of her. However, one day Clara’s attitude is finally put into check by a man who she deems unworthy of coming into the restaurant. He tells her that she doesn’t as much as she thinks she does, sending her to obsess over learning everything about her family’s restaurant. Along the way she meets a new friend, and the two of them go on an adventure to solve a mystery.

Those who read this book learn more about what it means to pass judgement on people before you get to know them, and the importance of acceptance. A change in our attitudes can change the entire way that we look at our lives, and those around us.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an great read, not too young or simple but not too dramatic or thrilling. I enjoyed every moment of this mystery and invite other kids to read this to. This book was so gripping that I couldn't put it down, the descriptive imagery was incredible, I was able to picture the story from start to finish.

I have only one remark against this novel which is I kept waiting for the story to completely finish and to tie up all the loose ends to the story. Without giving anything away, I found that Clara's father, Pierre, was left without an ending to his secret. We just abruptly leave the scene and continue with the original mystery. Maybe this was the author's intention, to leave us wondering what happened afterwards, or maybe it didn't seem important in comparison to the rest of the story?

Overall I thought this was a great book for kids and would advise any child getting into mystery or thriller books to give this a go.

[Caitlan Meyer]

I honestly don’t know what to think of this book. I had it on my shelf from YEARS ago and all I could remember was I enjoyed it at the time but really nothing else. It was a very odd concept and honestly I don’t think I can even appropriately rate this book due to my overall experience with this reread. I didn’t hate it,I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t like or love it either. It was an easy and quick read and I didn’t get annoyed by anything the author did. It was just very very odd in many ways. I don’t think I would recommend it to my younger siblings or others who have young kids but I wouldn’t tell them not to pick it up for a whatever type of read if they came across it. Everything that happened in it was just very unexpected.

[Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice book for children/teens. There is a bit of mystery, friendship between 2 girls of strong personality and a nice character development for the lead. She starts out as a snob, square-minded and cold, and once she meets this strange girl Annabelle, who is a burglar, is when she steps out of her snobby world and experiences new (and sometimes mundane) things.

[Genevieve Seeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just remembered this book right before going to sleep. This book definitely shaped me into the person I am today. What I would've given for an amusement park room or a fake beach room. What an iconic book.

[Lexi]

i've been trying to remember the name of this book for foreverrrr because it stuck with me for so long as a child. and i finally found it! and got to reread! it's a fun children's book with a fun concept. baby me would've given it a 5/5.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute. very easy to get lost in. a fun read.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlikeable main character and mind numbingly inane.

[Rowan faal Kodaav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favorite book of mine from my childhood, and will always have a special place in my heart.

[Kestrel Class · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really funny

[liyara · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfection

[anika · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favourite book as a kid i love it sm

[yomna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this books so mf good and so mf underrated?!?! The mystery is so cool and is just a wild concept that 10 year old me had to understand. Woah. I love clara's character development

[Emily Squires · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving this story as a kid. Still just as fun of a read!