The thrilling final episode in the zesty series for fans of kids' cooking competitions. It's the season finale and only two contestants remain. Who will take the cake and earn the title of  Next Best Junior Chef?   Two talented junior chefs have sliced and diced their way into the finale of Next Best Junior Chef. This week's theme: innovation. Which junior chef will rise to the top and earn the title of Next Best Junior Chef? And whose goose is cooked? Two contestants compete on- and off-camera, but only one will win the whole enchilada.  This is a finale you won't want to miss!  Bonus: includes real cooking techniques for the aspiring young chef!      "A satisfactory denouement."-- Kirkus Charise Mericle Harper is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the Just Grace series and the Next Best Junior Chef series. Charise lives in Oregon. Visit Charise at chariseharper.com and on Twitter at @ChariseHarper. Aurélie Blard-Quintard studied classical drawing in Paris and earned a Master of Communication Media degree, specializing in stop-motion animation, in Bristol, England. She lives with her family and their cat in Strasbourg, France. Friday—Week Three Begins CHAPTER 1 Caroline turned away from the studio door and studied Rae’s face. “Friends . . .”      “. . . to the end!” They finished the sentence together. After two tough weeks of slicing and dicing, they were the only ones left. This was it! Now it was the battle to see who would be the winner.      “Shhhhh.” Chef Nancy put a finger to her lips.      Rae rubbed her palms against her shirt. In just a few seconds the door would open and it would begin all over again.      Rae counted the days on her fingers and then wiped her hands on her skirt. In seven days one of them would be the winner—the Next Best Junior Chef! And the other . . . She didn’t want to think about that. She studied the back of Caroline’s head. Was she nervous about winning or—worse—losing? The producer’s voice interrupted her thoughts.      “BOOMS!”      “LIGHTS!”      “CAMERAS!”      “ROLLING!”      And then the announcer began. “Welcome to Next Best Junior Chef ! This is week three, our FINAL week of competition. After Thursday’s elimination round, we’ll have a winner for the Next Best Junior Chef! We have two remaining talented junior chefs, who have certainly earned the right to be here, but are they ready for what lies ahead? This week’s challenges will test their culinary knowledge, ingenuity, and maybe even the bonds of their friendship. It’s time to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Will they sizzle or fizzle? We can’t wait to find out—so without further delay, let’s bring out our final contestants.”      Chef Nancy tapped Caroline’s shoulder. Caroline walked confidently to the front of the studio, pacing herself to match the announcer’s tempo.      “Congratulations, Caroline, and welcome to this exciting final week of competition. Caroline is eleven years old and from Chicago, Illinois. She worked some fast-food magic last week, elevating a hot dog to an haute dog. She has continually impressed the judges with her creativity and culinary talent.”      Chef Nancy held the door for Rae.      “Congratulations, Rae, and welcome to the final week of competition.”      Rae blinked twice, focused on the front, and started down the ramp. The energy of the room quickly changed her nervousness into excitement.      “Rae is eleven years old and from Port Chester, New York. Last week, she won unanimous praise for perfecting a cookie classic and served up a winning dish in the elimination round. This young chef is a master of both pleasing the palate and presentation.”      Rae stood next to Caroline in front of the three judges.      “Our esteemed judges include Chef Vera Porter of the famous Porter Farm Restaurant, the renowned pastry chef Aimee Copley, and Chef Gary Lee, restaurant proprietor and host of the award-winning show Adventures in Cooking. The judges will be watching our competitors throughout the week, and everything that happens along the way will be taken into consideration when we get to the final elimination round. In addition to choosing a winner, the judges will have to dismiss one of our junior chefs and ask them to hang up their apron. This decision will be based on performance, the taste and presentation of their dishes, and their overall creative vision.”      Caroline reached for Rae’s hand, then gave it a squeeze and held on. Rae squeezed back.      “Our junior chefs are mentored by Chef Nancy Patel, the 2013 recipient of the Golden Spoon Award. The winner of Next Best Junior Chef will receive two life-changing prizes: a custom food truck and a guest spot on Adventures in Cooking when it begins filming this summer in Italy!”      Chef Gary stepped to the center of the room. “WOW! This is it!” He nodded to each of the junior chefs. “Congratulations. You’ve made it!”      They smiled bac