Aven Green Baking Machine

By Dusti Bowling and Gina Perry

Now that third-grader Aven Green has retired from sleuthing, it’s time to conquer a whole new world: baking!

Aven knows she’s an expert baker of cakes and cookies since she’s been baking with her mom for a really long time. Plus no one bakes quite like her. She cracks eggs with her feet and measures sugar and flour with her feet (plus measuring cups) since she was born without arms. And now Aven has her eye on the prize: a beautiful blue ribbon for baking at the county fair. So she teams up with her friends Kayla, Emily, and Sujata. But It turns out they all have very different tastes and a lot of opinions about baking. Talk about a recipe for disaster!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Union Square Kids
• Release date: Aug 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781454941859

Book preview

Praise for Dusti Bowling’s AVEN GREEN chapter books!

AVEN GREEN

SLEUTHING MACHINE!

A fun series opener with a feisty protagonist who’ll keep readers on their toes. —Kirkus Reviews

[Aven Green] is an irrepressible and irresistible narrator, whether reflecting on life as someone born without arms or amicably interacting with her funny friends and family. Unapologetically smart and refreshingly confident in her abilities, this super-sleuth extraordinaire is a joy to tag along with. —Booklist

Aven’s candid voice ensures that this chapter book series starter will draw a young audience. —Publishers Weekly

"Bowling’s beloved Life of a Cactus protagonist returns in a new series of chapter books that capture her life as third grader. . . . Young readers will laugh aloud at Aven’s funny reactions . . . [and] they will be intrigued by the practical skills she has perfected. . . . This chapter book companion to Bowling’s well-loved middle grade-series is a recommended purchase." —School Library Journal (starred review)

By Dusti Bowling

For Younger Readers

AVEN GREEN SLEUTHING MACHINE

AVEN GREEN BAKING MACHINE

For Older Readers

INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS

24 HOURS IN NOWHERE

MOMENTOUS EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS

THE CANYON’S EDGE

ACROSS THE DESERT

For Kyle

STERLING CHILDREN’S BOOKS and the distinctive Sterling Children’s Books logo are registered trademarks of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Text © 2021 Dusti Bowling

Cover and interior illustrations © 2021 Gina Perry

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4549-4185-9

For information about custom editions, special sales, and premium and corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales at 800-805-5489 or [e-mail].

sterlingpublishing.com

Cover and interior design by Jo Obarowski and Shannon Nicole Plunkett

Contents

1 Expert Baker Requirements

2 As Many Friends as Possible

3 Milk Barfi

4 Buns of Steel (I told you I’d explain it)

5 Lots of Refrigerating, No Baking

6 Raisins Ruin Everything

7 The Final Test

8 Kicked Out

9 All on My Own

10 Tomato Soup What???

11 A New Partner

12 Manju

13 Aven Is-Sorry-She-Acted-Like-a-Doodie-Head Green

14 The Winner

15 Music Machine

Aven Green’s Baking Words

Aven’s Recipes

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Expert Baker Requirements

There are a whole lot of cupcakes, cookies, Rice Krispies Treats, and popcorn balls to make in elementary school. I’m only in the third grade, but I’ve already become an expert at making these fine foods. And I don’t even bake like any old baker. You see, I don’t have arms. Yep, you heard me. No arms here on my torso, which I’d like to add is already eight years old.

That means when I crack eggs, I crack them with my feet. And when I measure sugar and flour, I measure them with my feet. And also measuring cups. And when I melt butter, I melt it with my butt cheeks.

Just kidding, of course. I use a microwave like everyone else. Using butt cheeks while baking would be unsanitary. Unsanitary is the opposite of sanitary, which means clean. I always wash my feet before I bake, so there’s nothing unsanitary about using my feet to bake, and if you try to say so, we might have to have a little talk about how many times you picked your wedgies