In true Amelia Bedelia fashion, twelve pound cakes become one twelve-pound tower of cake; a pinch of salt results in a pinch on Cousin Alcolu's arm; and Amelia's last-minute sheet cake becomes a prizewinning bed cake, with pillows to boot, all shown in Sweat's humorous illustrations. The story tends to wander, but AB's fans might not care.

Gr 1-3 Kids love feeling superior to adults, hence the perennial appeal of the stories about the cheerful but hapless maid who takes figures of speech literally. In this book, her employer urges her to enter her recipe into a bake-off contest. Before long, she's trying to make a crumb cake (out of crumbs, of course) and taking the advice to start every recipe "from scratch." But in the end she always comes out on top. Parish, the original author's nephew, has been writing these books for 15 years, and the formula is reliable if a bit tired by now. Sweat's sketchy cartoons add a lively touch. Overall, fans of the series are sure to eat this up. Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL