Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fine alternative-history romance with a foodie flair.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
MY FINE FELLOW tells the story of best friends Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering, who are starting their last year at a royal culinary academy in 1830s London. On their way to a night market to sample exotic foods, they meet Elijah Little, a poor street urchin selling empanadas to passersby. Intrigued by the unique flavors of the empanada and impressed with his knowledge of foods from the far-off Americas, Helena decides to train Elijah to become a "gentleman chef." But in order for a lowly street vendor to be accepted by London's elite as a gentleman chef, Elijah will have to cram three years of academy training into just a few months. And keep his real identity a secret.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of historical romance will enjoy this breezy, entertaining gender-swap twist on the familiar story of Elza Dolittle and Professor Henry Higgins. And My Fine Fellow has enough appeal for readers who aren't familiar with either the Hollywood musical or Broadway play versions of My Fair Lady. Author Jennieke Cohen combines an interesting what-if version of history with a reality-TV-type cooking contest that holds the readers interest. The story provides lots of food, not only for the senses, but for thought as well.
Older tweens and teens will relate to Penelope and Elijah as they struggle against society's prejudices, expectations, and limitations. Sometimes the dialog tries too hard to be "veddy British," and Penelope bits her lips an awful lot, but fans of the genre probably won't mind. Sprinkles of light-hearted humor balance the more serious issues explored and keep things upbeat while exploring complex issues like identity, gender roles, and class distinctions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the role models in My Fine Fellow. How do Penelope and Elijah show their character strengths? And what about Helena? Her weaknesses are pretty clear, but do they make her a bad person?
Is it OK when authors change history to tell a story? Is it helpful or interesting to imagine things happening differently? Does it hurt anything?
Have you ever seen the movie or the play, My Fair Lady? If you have, which version of the story do you like better? If you haven't, would you like to now?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Cooking , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : harper teen
- Publication date : January 11, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 17
- Number of pages : 352
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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