The Gross Cookbook

May 29, 2017
Did someone say Halloween party? “Severed Fingers,” “Bloody Intestines,” and “Maggot-infested Brownies” are among the intentionally revolting-looking recipes in this grisly culinary collection. Despite their unappetizing appearances, the 15 dishes are entirely edible: the severed fingers are cheddar cheese straws dipped in ketchup, the intestines combine coils of chocolate dough with raspberry filling, and the maggots are marzipan. Gutierrez’s vermin-filled cartoons complement the often gruesome photography, and Tee also highlights a range of real-life delicacies, including live octopus, fried tarantulas, and roasted rat. Picky eaters and unsuspecting dinner guests beware. Ages 7–12.

September 1, 2017
Grades 3-6 Nothing says Halloween like creepy and revolting food, and this colorful cookbook is filled with appealingly unpalatable (but tasty) recipes for kids to make. It includes recipes for (facetiously named, of course) severed fingers, human brain, bloody intestines, dirty worm hash, big green boogers, roasted mice, maggot-infested brownies, baked human hand, chewy cockroaches, and bloodshot eye cubes, among others, with photographs and repulsive-looking cartoony illustrations. A standout is the disgustingly realistic-looking cat poop in a litter box. Descriptions (without recipes) of unique foods prepared and eaten around the world are also included, like witchetty grubs (Australia), stinking fruit (Indonesia), fruit bat soup (Palau), sheep's head (Norway), stinkheads (Alaska), baby bird embryos (Southeast Asia), or roasted rat (Vietnam). Instructions indicate when adult supervision is needed, and the book also has a party menu, party tips, kitchen rules, cooking lingo, and an index. Originally published in the UK, it uses a few unfamiliar British terms (airing cupboard, caster sugar), but that won't prevent adventurous kids from creating these truly nauseating-looking foods. Bon appetit!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)