Crazy for Chocolate

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“I was in a chocolate factory! ... I was wearing pyjama-like pants,
with ruffles at the ankles, under a wide skirt. I had on a frilly blouse
with ruffles at the cuffs. And I had a bonnet on. I was glad my friends
weren’t around because I sure looked dopey. And where was my mouse?”
When a strange new librarian gives young Anne a mysterious CD-ROM to
help her research her history project about chocolate, Anne is too
worried about her deadline to ask why the disk was kept in a locked
drawer. But as soon as the CD-ROM is in her computer, Anne is
transported back in time and around the world to see how chocolate was
first discovered and how it evolved into the world’s favorite treat.
By double clicking on her mouse, Anne experiences life on a South
American cacao plantation, being tossed off the Santa Maria by
Christopher Columbus, meeting the Queen of France in a rat-infested
dungeon, and getting caught in a confection crossfire between two of
Vienna’s greatest candy makers.

This latest book by Frieda Wishinsky sugarcoats history with high
adventure and slapstick humor. Wishinsky’s prose is pure and playful.
The plot features many twists that help historical facts stick in a
reader’s mind. The book’s large print and numerous illustrations
make it a good choice for junior readers. Highly recommended.