Anna and Banana must cook up a solution when her jealousy gets her into some hot water in the sixth book of this “fast-paced, fun, and funny” (Megan McDonald, bestselling author of the Judy Moody series) illustrated chapter book series about the joys and challenges of elementary school friendships. After watching the contestants on The Batter-Up Bake-Off Show whip up sweet treats, Anna, Isabel, Sadie, and Banana are ready to put their culinary chops to the test. The plan? To make the best-ever cookie recipe for the town library’s bake sale! There’s only one problem: Isabel and Sadie have started hanging out with a girl named Monica, and suddenly she’s all they can talk about. Anna’s sure she, Sadie, and Isabel are complete as a trio, and winning the bake sale will prove it. But when Monica shows up with Sadie and Isabel for their big baking day things quickly turn from sweet to sour. Can Anna win back the attention of her two besties, or will she learn that friendship—like cookies—is best when shared? Anna, Sadie, and Isabel love sharing sweet treats, and they're ready to put their baking skills to the test. The plan? To make the best-ever cookies for the library bake sale! Even Anna's dog, Banana, feels certain the girls can win. There's only one problem: Monica, Sadie and Isabel's new friend who keeps stirring up trouble. Monica, who might be trying to steal Anna's best friends away from her. Can Anna's special new recipe help win them back, or will an unexpected ingredient turn things from sweet to sour? Sadie perked right up. "Do you want to bake with us on Saturday morning?" she asked Monica. Say no, say no, say no, say no , I thought. I didn't want to be mean, but I also didn't want to bake cookies with her. I barely knew this girl, yet somehow she and my best friends had a secret handshake and inside jokes. I didn't want to include someone who made me feel so left out. I knew that friendship, like the bake sale, wasn't really a competition. But I couldn't help it: I wanted to win. --From Anna, Banana, and the Recipe for Disaster Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats lots of cheese with her friends in Princeton, New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Arugula. Find out more at anicarissi.com and follow @anicarissi on Twitter. Anna, Banana, and the Recipe for Disaster Chapter One Batter Up “No, not the carrots!” my best friend Sadie said to the television. “Don’t add those to the cake batter! Yuck!” My other best friend, Isabel, shrugged at the screen. “I like carrot cake,” she said. “Yeah, but chocolate carrot cake?” Sadie said. “Blech. No thank you.” We watched as the kid contestants on The Batter-Up Bake-Off Show grated three large carrots into the mixing bowl and poured in a cupful of chocolate chunks. Sadie wrinkled her nose. “I’d try it,” Isabel said. “What about you, Anna?” “If Dad served it for dinner, I’d have to,” I said. That was the food rule at my house: You eat what you’re served, even if it’s beets or brussels sprouts. “True, but you’re at my house now,” Sadie said. “There aren’t any rules like that here.” There weren’t any food rules at either of Sadie’s houses. Both of her parents let her eat what she likes. And here at her dad’s place, we’re allowed to watch as much TV as we want, too, although usually we’re busy with games or adventures. Hanging out at my house is still the most fun though because there we get to be with my dog, Banana. But Banana doesn’t mind if I go to Sadie’s or Isabel’s, as long as I tell her all about it afterward. “I’d still probably try it,” I said, “if only so I could tell Banana what it tastes like.” Sadie shuddered. “Just let her taste it for herself!” “Nope. Chocolate is really bad for dogs. Like, it’s basically poison,” I said. I was always super careful to keep chocolate out of Banana’s reach. Even the thought of her eating some made my heart skip with panic. Isabel nodded. “Cats too,” she said. “We thought Mewsic maybe ate some once, and had to take him to the vet.” Mewsic is Isabel’s gigantic orange tabby cat. He’s even bigger than Banana. “What did the vet do about it?” Sadie asked. “She gave him some medicine to make him throw up,” Isabel said. “Aw, poor kitty,” I said, trying not to picture it. “Yeah, but at least then he was safe,” Isabel said. I couldn’t argue with that. “Oooh!” Sadie grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. “This is my favorite part.” It had been Sadie’s idea for us to watch TV today—she’d really wanted us to see this new baking show. “Batter up!” she cheered, along with the whole TV audience. On screen, the two teams of kid contestants stepped up to the judges’ plate to show off their final creations. “Whoa, they sprinkled carrots on top of the frosting, too,” I said, as that team gave the “pitch” for why their recipe