The King's Taster

Written by Kenneth Oppel

Narrated by Fred Berman

Max is the cook's dog. And because he is also the king's taster, Max gets to feast on

French Fries!

Rose Pudding!

Cheese Pie!

Pizza!

No wonder Max loves his job. Who wouldn't want to dine on these delicious dishes?

The new king, that's who.

And if the new king has his way, it won't just be their job that the cook and Max lose!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 9, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061784576

Kenneth Oppel

KENNETH OPPEL is the bestselling author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and was adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the Times (UK). Kenneth Oppel is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing, Inkling and the Bloom trilogy. His latest novel is Ghostlight. Ken Oppel lives with his family in Toronto.

Reviews for The King's Taster

[Riley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was cute, and had great imagery. However, even though I could tell and appreciate what the author was going for, the repetition kept pulling me out of the story -and, quite frankly, annoyed me. Max was still a very good boy - 13/10 for him!

[josephm1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's a job every dog would probably hope for, taster of fine foods for the king! In this story, Max, the dog, has landed the dream job being the King's Taster, however, Max's owner the cook, is not at all happy. No matter what the cook serves, the king will not eat it. Great news for Max, not so good for the cook! Will the cook lose his job and his head? Can Max help his owner and keep his job? To find out the answers, youwill need to read "The King's Taster."

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jake's Review: This book is boring and I don't like it. The dog is cute and I like the picture where he does this (Imagine Jake sticking out his tongue, just like the dog on the cover). I didn't like how the cook was going to have his head cut off because the picky little boy didn't like any of the foods. The King is not a nice little boy and I don't like him. I liked the end part when the cook and the dog didn't have to work for the little boy anymore. Wouldn't read it again thoughMom's Review: I wanted to like this book, but I have to be honest, I really didn't. There were some cute parts for instance when the child king gets busted for eating candy, but it was few and far between. I found the art far too sophisticated for the target audience, but adults will definitely appreciate it. The illustrations were quite unusual and I would have to say I liked them, but not for a picture book. I found the characters to be unremarkable and totally forgettable. The whole premise of the story was a fantastic idea, but in this case I believe it was poorly executed. I have read other works by Kenneth Oppel and have enjoyed him, but not in this case.

[bellathebookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary:This book is about a chef and a dog that made sure the king's food was not poisoned. They got a new king and he hated the chef's food. The chef had to find a new recipe and fast.My Thoughts:I love this book and think it's just a great book to read on a rainy day. The artwork was cool. They made the chef's apron look like it was made of newspaper.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: I am reading all of the author's books.This is the first time I haven't been thrilled with an Oppel book. I have to say this one did nothing for me. The boy king behaves like a spoiled brat throwing all food given to him against the wall, enabling the dog to enjoy the hearty left-overs. It isn't until the end that he is found out to be a secret candy eater and has to be threatened with "telling his mother" does he become frightened enough to behave. Said mother is never present in the book. The boy king then tries the food, and night after night, low and behold, he discovers he likes it. Not exactly any good role models to be found here and the message is lost when the boy has to be threatened with a parent. The humour is lost on me. Of course, the intended audience will enjoy the story if it is read to them without any interruption about the bad behaviour being displayed, if you want to celebrate such behaviour without consequences.On a positive note, the husband and wife team who illustrated this book did a magnificent job. I just love the mixed-media collage paintings. They've included fabrics and text from old recipe cards, candy wrappers and I believe they've used inks (though it may be water colours). Just fantastic illustrations!