Simone LaFray Book Review

Simone LaFray and the Chocolatiers’ Ball

Steve O’Farrell, author

Simone LaFray had never questioned one thing – the character of her father. A fourth generation chocolatier and owner of a world famous patisserie, in her eyes he could do no wrong. However, her eyes were trained to see everything that was wrong. A covert agent with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this extraordinary 12-year-old was living a double life, walking in the veiled footprints of her mother, icing eclairs, dusting pastries, and darting between the shadows. What could be sweeter? When a notorious thief returns to Paris seeking revenge against her mother, a series of unforeseen and potentially devastating events ensue, leaving Simone to question everything. Her father can’t be the man they say he is, can he? Her concealed life is evaporating, the store hangs in the balance . . . and did I mention she needs a ball gown? Life in a French patisserie may not be as sweet as you thought. Simone LaFray and the Chocolatier’s Ball pulls the invisible girl out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Is she ready?

Reviews

This colorful middle grade debut from O’Farrell, set in present-day Paris, follows a particularly perceptive 12-year-old girl as she balances a family scandal with the challenges of a budding espionage career. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Simone LaFray is a secret agent for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her mentor, Eloise Pilfrey, assigns Simone to catch the infamous thief Reynard Baresi, aka la Volpe Rossa (the Red Fox), who may be plotting to steal a painting from the Musée d’Orsay. Simone thinks she’s seen la Volpe lingering around her father’s famous bakery, LaFray’s Patisserie, where Simone assists her father, Louie. One Sunday, someone breaks into the patisserie and steals their beloved recipe books that have been passed down for generations. Now she has an additional mystery to solve.

As Simone narrates this story, readers will be amazed by her observational skills, which add a heavily descriptive layer to the story (“Since I was six, I could tell the handwriting and doodle marks of each inscriber”) and provide her with helpful clues. When Louie is accused of being a fraud and baking subpar pastries, Simone discovers someone laced one of their bags of sugar with salt. She becomes determined to find the culprit at the prestigious Chocolatiers’ Ball.

Though Simone is bright (“Doing normal kid stuff made me twitchy,” she confesses) she prefers to be out of the spotlight. O’Farrell skillfully provides two foils: Simone’s theatrical younger sister, Mia, and her bubbly best friend, Gloria V. Cantone (known as the V). Both Mia and the V help dress Simone up for the ball, where O’Farrell reveals several twists. This satisfying mystery leaves a few lingering secrets that readers will hope to explore in Simone’s next adventure.

Takeaway: Middle grade readers who love mature protagonists and vivid imagery featuring sweet treats will enjoy this spy story.

Great for fans of Stuart Gibbs’s Spy School series, Lauren Child’s Ruby Redfort series.

Steve O’Farrell

S.P. O’Farrell wrote “Simone LaFray and the Chocolatiers’ Ball” over the course of two and a half years, after a particularly inspiring bowl of bouillabaisse on a family vacation. The majority was written after all were tucked in, the lights were low, and the mind was free to wander. Mr. O’Farrell lives in the northeastern United States with his wife Emily, sons Patrick and Michael, and their ever-dozing Labrador, Scout.