MMGM- Lydia Cooper is a Lie and The Toy Kitchen Cookbook

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

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Unleashing Readers

McIsaac, Meaghan. Lydia Cooper is a Lie

June 30, 2026 by Aladdin

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Lydia is turning fifteen, and disappointed that she doesn't get a smart phone so she can keep up with all of her friends. She and her father have moved around a lot, but she's finally with a group of kids she enjoys. Her father, who works in cyber security, is adamant: we are a no social media household. After hacking into the home wifi and creating a FriendScroll account for herself, she enjoys being able to catch up, especially with the cute Theo. She post a picture from one of his baseball games, and before she knows it, someone has broken into her home and attacked her in the middle of the night. Her father rescues her, but makes her leave immediately. He gives her a burner phone and instructions to get to a safe house in Ipswich, but doesn't tell her what's going on. When she thinks she is being followed, she doesn't get on the train and eventually runs into Theo in Boston. Shaken, she is grateful that his mother invites her to calm down and have some pizza at the family's hotel room. Shortly after, a woman from the Witness Protection Program shows up and states that she needs to take Lydia. Theo's mom backs down when Melanie mentions contacting US Marshals, and Lydia goes, even though she has reservations. These reservations make her doubt that her father was a hacker who worked for the Wolverines, taking information for the Fenrir company in a Robin Hood sort of way. She runs off from a diner, but is picked up by Ben... who is a Wolverine. Since the man who attacked her at home had a similar tattoo, she's pretty sure they aren't the good guys. There are lots of twists and turns as Lydia realizes truth about her family history, and learns that there really isn't anyone she can trust. The ending of the book leaves room for a sequel. 

Strengths: If you're a teen and your folks forbid social media, listen to them. If not, THIS COULD HAPPEN! I loved that Lydia loved her father (her mother supposedly died when she was a baby, of course), and they generally got along, but he was just SO UNREASONABLE about social media that she had to go behind his back. I'm still not entirely sure who the good guys are, which is always an interesting thing to find in teen literature; things are usually boringly black and white! Lydia is resourceful and doesn't whine, and tries her best to do what is right and get back to her dad. I will look forward to the sequel eagerly, and enjoyed this author's short Cheat Code. 
Weaknesses: If you were a member of an illegal, evil group of hackers, would it be a good idea to have an identifiable and visible tattoo on your neck? I'm not quite seeing the point of this. Other than that, this was a solid middle grade adventure, but it was hard to review without giving away key twists. 
What I really think: This is a book I will definitely be purchasing for fans of April Henry's work, Otis' At the Speed of Lies, Van Draanen's The Steps, and Sorrell's 2005 Fake ID, which still circulates like crazy. I would also buy this for a high school library, and love that Lydia is 15 but there is no mature language or adult situations. 

Kim, Sohui and Holbrook, Rick (Photographer).
Melissa & Doug: The Toy Kitchen Cookbook
October 13, 2026 by Rise x Penguin Workshop
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I'm a huge fan of cookbooks of all manner and description, but this is a first-- a beginning cookbook to be used with PLAY food. Since I'm also a huge fan of play kitchens and all of the pretend food, this was right up my alley. Combine that with the amount of cooking my son-in-law does, and this is perfect for my grandson. 

There are sixteen different recipes, ranging from basic grilled cheese and tomato soup to the more exotic fried eggs in spicy tomoato sauce. There is a pictographic ingredient list, basic instructions, and a nice illustration of the finished meal, which of course showcases the Melissa and & Doug products. The illustrations are the only thing that most younger students will need, and this is a good springboard to a lot of cooking related activities. 

It would be essential for an adult or older child to work with a tiny cook to navigate this book, since the instructions are written. It would also work for parallel play while an adult caregiver is cooking and the assistant works in a play kitchen. Since not all of the recipes would be something my family would eat (pretty sure we're never wrapping ham around anything), it would be fun to create recipes on paper, with the child drawing the ingredients and the finished product, and the adult providing the text. This sort of recipe is always amusing, and it would make a nice keepsake. 

My one concern is that the first recipe, for alphabet soup, includes the instructions "Fill the pot with water". This could end badly with cardboard or wood alphabet letters if a child took this literally, which I certainly would have done as a child. 

I really liked the "selling points" on Edelweiss for this book, since purposeful play is always a great activity! 

• The First of Its Kind: This cookbook is for use with toy ingredients ONLY, making it the first toy kitchen cookbook in the world. The text is accompanied by images so that preliterate children can visually read the book and “cook” all on their own, inspiring confidence and accomplishment.
• Cultivating Creativity: This book strengthens skills in sequencing, matching, flexibility (for when you don’t have the exact “ingredient” shown), and creativity, with recipes that will inspire new ways to play.
• Positive Food Associations: Encourages healthy and unpressured play and excitement around food, providing even hesitant eaters with a way to explore new foods!
• Empowering Through Play: The visual element of this book encourages children’s natural resourcefulness and validates their play with real, age-appropriate recipes created by a real chef. NO ADULT HELP NECESSARY!
• Screen-Free & Purpose-Driven: Melissa & Doug toys are timeless, setting them apart from others in a tech-driven market. Toys and books promote wholesome play that’s sparked by a child’s own imagination and its endless possibilities.
• Known for Sustainability: Melissa & Doug is the #1 preschool brand in wooden and sustainable toys. Among millennial parents, it’s the #1 preschool brand known for making sustainable products.
• Award-Winning, Expert Author: Chef Sohui Kim has previously written two adult cookbooks, The Good Fork Cookbook and Korean Home Cooking. She is a twice-nominated Best Chef by the James Beard Foundation, and her Brooklyn restaurants are neighborhood and critics’ favorites.