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The League of Picky Eaters: A Hilarious and Heartwarming Story for Kids
A hilarious and heartwarming debut about picky eating, finding your people, and standing proud.
In Muffuletta, being good at Eating is the key to success. French fries and grilled cheese? Beginner food! Haggis and truffles? Delicacies!
After failing a school Eating test, picky eater Minerva is placed in the lowest eating track of all: Remedial Eating to Change Habits. RETCH class is full of kids with weird personalities and even weirder food preferences. And to make matters worse, Minerva's best friends in the Gifted and Gourmet class no longer speak to her.
But soon Minerva finds she is not alone in her pickiness, and forms friendships with her new classmates. And together, they find a way to stand up for themselves--picky and proud!
In Muffuletta, being good at Eating is the key to success. French fries and grilled cheese? Beginner food! Haggis and truffles? Delicacies!
After failing a school Eating test, picky eater Minerva is placed in the lowest eating track of all: Remedial Eating to Change Habits. RETCH class is full of kids with weird personalities and even weirder food preferences. And to make matters worse, Minerva's best friends in the Gifted and Gourmet class no longer speak to her.
But soon Minerva finds she is not alone in her pickiness, and forms friendships with her new classmates. And together, they find a way to stand up for themselves--picky and proud!
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2021
11 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
11 books101 followersStephanie has done a few things in life. She has sold women shoes and frozen yogurt as well as smelly, expensive body lotion and smellier, even more expensive cheese. She has worked on a Jacques Pepin cooking show and been a cookbook editor. She has written about books, food, parenting, TV, vampire dating habits, cocktail trivia, and picky eating.
She has lived in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, England, Boston, and San Francisco.
She has attended a swank ball at University of Cambridge with Prince Charles (not that he was her date or anything just that he was also invited) and rebuilt trails with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Now she writes children's books surrounded by a few kids, a few cats, and one husband. She loves reading books and watching television shows in equal numbers and thinks everyone should try pairing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with bourbon.
She has lived in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, England, Boston, and San Francisco.
She has attended a swank ball at University of Cambridge with Prince Charles (not that he was her date or anything just that he was also invited) and rebuilt trails with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Now she writes children's books surrounded by a few kids, a few cats, and one husband. She loves reading books and watching television shows in equal numbers and thinks everyone should try pairing Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with bourbon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 23, 2021
This is a Middle Grade book. I have three picky eaters. This book brings picky eaters to a new level. This book took me a while to get into, and it was a little weird. I love how this book shows what makes true friends, and that sometimes school goes a little overboard. I really love the ending of this book. This book was cute and funny. I love all the characters in this book, and I love that the underdogs comes together. This was a fun read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Clarion Books) or author (Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
March 8, 2021
As the mother of a picky eater, who I suspect might be a supertaster, I really connected with The League of Picky Eaters by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic and I think many kids will too. Minerva is a picky eater who lives in a town that reveres Eating (yes, with a capital E) so much that it even studies it in school. There are 3 Eating tracks--GAG (Gifted and Gourmet), BARF (Becoming A Real Foodie), and RETCH ( Remedial Eating to Change Habits), which is what Minerva ends up in. When Minerva's best friends are placed into the GAG program they begin shunning and bullying her. Minerva finds new friends among her weird and wonderful RETCH classmates.
This story is full of humor and wit! I loved the wacky immersion therapy lessons the RETCH students were required to go through. They were laugh out loud hysterical. The book also has some pretty good life lessons such as being weird is wonderful, and the importance of trying new things! All in all, I loved this book!
This story is full of humor and wit! I loved the wacky immersion therapy lessons the RETCH students were required to go through. They were laugh out loud hysterical. The book also has some pretty good life lessons such as being weird is wonderful, and the importance of trying new things! All in all, I loved this book!
July 23, 2022
I read this book in one sitting in public and wasn’t shy about laughing out loud. As a picky eater and the mother of a picky eater, I really connected with this story. It’s packed with heartwarming and hilarious moments as Minerva tries to find her place in a community that prides itself on eating only fancy foods. Minerva excels in many subjects in school (hooray for math and science!), except for Eating. She is placed in the Remedial Eating to Change Habits (RETCH lol) class where she connects with a colorful cast of characters. Minerva makes new friendships, ends a toxic friendship, and discovers the power to stand up for herself and her new friends. The League of Picky Eaters by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic celebrates autonomy and gives us permission to enjoy our favorite meals. Like Minerva, I’d pass on head cheese and go for a grilled cheese sandwich! Picky and proud is such a wonderful message. I wish this MG book had existed when I was a kiddo. Highly recommend!
May 18, 2021
This book is at once hilarious and heartfelt, generous and empathic. From the silly antics of little brother Hugo to the outrageous immersion therapy sessions with Madame Bouch, I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. But behind that laughter is a heart-tugging story of changing friendships, finding your place, and being yourself in all your weird and wonderful glory. Stephanie Lucianovic navigates the complexities of both picky eating and middle school friendship with empathy and grace. This is a must-read for eaters of all palates.
December 30, 2021
Middle school and up; the story of picky eater Minerva and her struggles to fit in at her Eating school. It’s a cute idea and I love a food book, but it’s dragged out for way too many pages and many of the characters are disappointingly one-dimensional. However, there are some good messages about loving yourself exactly how you are and finding community even when you feel like an outsider, and young readers will definitely enjoy the French fries and grilled cheese triumphs at the end.
March 18, 2022
In a society where consuming varieties of food in healthy quantities is a highly prized skill, Minerva's picky eating practices set her apart. After performing poorly in her "eating placement test" at St. Julia Child Elementary and Middle School, she is assigned to a class for Remedial Eaters, filled with unpopular kids like Alice Who Only Eats White Food and Ralph, who disrupts classes by making vomit-like noises.
July 15, 2022
This was an absolute hoot. I love that the characters have so much depth, and each one has a well-developed personality, even within this silly food school setting. The perfect balance of silly puns, serious friend drama, and real feelings that real kids really feel. I loved the depiction of friends standing up for each other, and the painful process of learning someone really wasn't your friend after all. I also felt personally vindicated that Minerva didn't like green peppers and could taste them even if she picked them out of her food, because green peppers are AWFUL and you CAN taste them even after they're gone, and I CAN SMELL THEM A MILE AWAY.
April 29, 2023
What a fun school! Foodies? Maybe not, but someone’s tastebuds save the day! Hand this one to future foodies/ chefs working to perfect their taste buds.
April 11, 2024
I love the found family and friends vibe. If this book was around when I was in elementary school I would have definitely been friends with the kids in this book.
June 13, 2021
EARc provided ny Edelweiss Plus
Picky eaters, you are not alone! This is a humorous but honest view of what it's like to just not enjoy a wide variety of foods. Friendship and school situations will resonate with middle grade readers, and they will learn more about life as a supertaster.
Picky eaters, you are not alone! This is a humorous but honest view of what it's like to just not enjoy a wide variety of foods. Friendship and school situations will resonate with middle grade readers, and they will learn more about life as a supertaster.
November 18, 2021
I think The League of Picky Eaters by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic could be described as a middle grade friends book. Main character Minerva recognizes that her long-time best friends are just plain toxic. (The main one has a mother who is pretty appalling, too, as mean girl moms often are in books and movies. Mean girls learn their mean ways at home.) Sadly, this is at the very point when Minerva is placed in a remedial class, where she eventually realizes she's found a group that embraces and understands her.
The remedial class Minerva is placed in is for picky eaters, children who don't meet the standards for eating in the slightly alternative world they live in. Like Rival, a YA mean girl book, The League of Picky Eaters is about something more than just school relationships. Rival was about singing, and The League of Picky Eaters is about...picky eating.
Picky eating is a real thing, and it is what brought me to this book after reading Lucianovic's adult book on the subject. We have three picky eaters in our family, one of whom has taken whatever this is--condition/eating disorder/food aversion--into adulthood. We've been dealing with it for many years. Picky eating isn't a dire, life-threatening issue. But it does cast a shadow over lives. We are an extremely food-centered culture. Meals and snacks are eaten at school, incredible numbers of social events are created around food or food is featured before or after them. Work meetings involve lunches, coffee and doughnuts (though all our picky eaters will eat those, or at least some types), dinners, and receptions. A simple book discussion group can end up meeting in restaurants. Dating is around meals. Oh, wait...traveling...means eating in restaurants. Any health situation that involves eating--gluten-related health conditions, diabetes, lactose intolerance, and, yes, picky eating--causes life complications for people affected and their families.
At last Sunday's book launch for The League of Picky Eaters, which I attended in Los Altos, California from my office in southern New England through the magic of Zoom, Lucianovic, a recovered/recovering picky eater, said she was twenty-seven-years old before she started making progress on her own picky eating. She went on to go to culinary school and eat, what sounds to me, like a remarkable number of things. She is every mom of a picky eater's fantasy. She wrote this book, she said, because in the area where she was living she was seeing competitive parenting around eating. And that led her to a book set in a school named for St. Julia Child where students are graded and tracked for their eating.
The League of Picky Eaters is entertaining and interesting, because it's about something we don't see a lot in children's books. (I don't know if I've seen it in any fiction.) My concern for the book is that adult gatekeepers won't be familiar with picky eating and not realize what Lucianovic has done here.
Stephanie Lucianovic ran her launch party from her kitchen where she made a grilled cheese. Grilled cheese figures prominently in The League of Picky Eaters, because it is an acceptable, even loved, food for many picky eaters. Yes, yes, we know grilled cheese well here. In fact, someone mentioned it just yesterday.
A slightly different version of this review appeared at Original Content
The remedial class Minerva is placed in is for picky eaters, children who don't meet the standards for eating in the slightly alternative world they live in. Like Rival, a YA mean girl book, The League of Picky Eaters is about something more than just school relationships. Rival was about singing, and The League of Picky Eaters is about...picky eating.
Picky eating is a real thing, and it is what brought me to this book after reading Lucianovic's adult book on the subject. We have three picky eaters in our family, one of whom has taken whatever this is--condition/eating disorder/food aversion--into adulthood. We've been dealing with it for many years. Picky eating isn't a dire, life-threatening issue. But it does cast a shadow over lives. We are an extremely food-centered culture. Meals and snacks are eaten at school, incredible numbers of social events are created around food or food is featured before or after them. Work meetings involve lunches, coffee and doughnuts (though all our picky eaters will eat those, or at least some types), dinners, and receptions. A simple book discussion group can end up meeting in restaurants. Dating is around meals. Oh, wait...traveling...means eating in restaurants. Any health situation that involves eating--gluten-related health conditions, diabetes, lactose intolerance, and, yes, picky eating--causes life complications for people affected and their families.
At last Sunday's book launch for The League of Picky Eaters, which I attended in Los Altos, California from my office in southern New England through the magic of Zoom, Lucianovic, a recovered/recovering picky eater, said she was twenty-seven-years old before she started making progress on her own picky eating. She went on to go to culinary school and eat, what sounds to me, like a remarkable number of things. She is every mom of a picky eater's fantasy. She wrote this book, she said, because in the area where she was living she was seeing competitive parenting around eating. And that led her to a book set in a school named for St. Julia Child where students are graded and tracked for their eating.
The League of Picky Eaters is entertaining and interesting, because it's about something we don't see a lot in children's books. (I don't know if I've seen it in any fiction.) My concern for the book is that adult gatekeepers won't be familiar with picky eating and not realize what Lucianovic has done here.
Stephanie Lucianovic ran her launch party from her kitchen where she made a grilled cheese. Grilled cheese figures prominently in The League of Picky Eaters, because it is an acceptable, even loved, food for many picky eaters. Yes, yes, we know grilled cheese well here. In fact, someone mentioned it just yesterday.
A slightly different version of this review appeared at Original Content
October 17, 2021
I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through NetGalley.
An intriguing way to capture the cliques culture of the middle school years. In Muffeletta, students are placed based on how willing they are to try a wide variety of foods. Each class grouping has its own acronym and they are hilarious in connection to the overall theme. The more picky an eater is, the lower they are placed at the St. Julia Child School. Minerva is a rather picky eater and is placed in the lowest category (RETCH) for her seventh grade year. She's devastated at first as her two friends are in the top group, but, as so often happens, she learns they are not necessarily her friends after all. She makes new friends in her classes and comes to accept her unique abilities and strengths. The group she connects with learn about each other and find ways to support and build each other up. Readers see them grow and develop their own passions beyond food.
Lucianovic has a light touch with plenty of humor with serious undertones. Middle grade readers will appreciate the food and eating humor and will recognize themselves in characters though their group divisions may not be so clearly outlined with picky eating.
An intriguing way to capture the cliques culture of the middle school years. In Muffeletta, students are placed based on how willing they are to try a wide variety of foods. Each class grouping has its own acronym and they are hilarious in connection to the overall theme. The more picky an eater is, the lower they are placed at the St. Julia Child School. Minerva is a rather picky eater and is placed in the lowest category (RETCH) for her seventh grade year. She's devastated at first as her two friends are in the top group, but, as so often happens, she learns they are not necessarily her friends after all. She makes new friends in her classes and comes to accept her unique abilities and strengths. The group she connects with learn about each other and find ways to support and build each other up. Readers see them grow and develop their own passions beyond food.
Lucianovic has a light touch with plenty of humor with serious undertones. Middle grade readers will appreciate the food and eating humor and will recognize themselves in characters though their group divisions may not be so clearly outlined with picky eating.
April 18, 2024
As a picky eater myself, I really wanted to enjoy this book. However, it really isn't for me. I struggled to find enjoyment in the school where the novel is set. I didn't understand the strange and bizarre foods kids had to get onboard with in order to be considered 'gifted' and I found the characters dull. I expected humor but instead I was lost and keep stumbling over all the rules and regulations enforced. I also didn't enjoy the food overload. I get that it is about a school were a akey class is eating, but there was nothing else to the ddtory but food, food, and more food. I just need more action and more comedy.
Overall, I found it to be a slow-burn. Although...it was highly descriptive about food; what it looked like, what it smelt like; basically an assault of the senses (so avoid at all costs if you are on a diet). This worked well for drawing the reader in to the fictional world, although there were many instances that pulled you right back out again. However, whilst the concept of the book is rather novel, there might be a reason why it's not been seen before.
Overall, I found it to be a slow-burn. Although...it was highly descriptive about food; what it looked like, what it smelt like; basically an assault of the senses (so avoid at all costs if you are on a diet). This worked well for drawing the reader in to the fictional world, although there were many instances that pulled you right back out again. However, whilst the concept of the book is rather novel, there might be a reason why it's not been seen before.
January 19, 2023
pretty good
Minerva learned some valuable lessons. I wish Patricia learned something and stopped being a lying jerk who is super mean to everyone, but alas, not everyone wants to become a better person.
I’m glad they got fries on the menu at school. There was a lot of build up. I wanted the pizza to have no eggs and maybe plain old grilled cheese pop up on the menu too, but I guess we will never know.
In all, it was a fun book and I am glad to have read it. I think my picky eaters will think it’s funny too. Maybe they will appreciate me more! I was picky when I was younger and I try to make sure to always have foods they like and just ask them to eat their vegetables. I always let them put cheese or something on it if they prefer that. One day, hopefully they will like more things, but for now, at least they are getting some fiber and vitamins from their veggies and fruits.
Minerva learned some valuable lessons. I wish Patricia learned something and stopped being a lying jerk who is super mean to everyone, but alas, not everyone wants to become a better person.
I’m glad they got fries on the menu at school. There was a lot of build up. I wanted the pizza to have no eggs and maybe plain old grilled cheese pop up on the menu too, but I guess we will never know.
In all, it was a fun book and I am glad to have read it. I think my picky eaters will think it’s funny too. Maybe they will appreciate me more! I was picky when I was younger and I try to make sure to always have foods they like and just ask them to eat their vegetables. I always let them put cheese or something on it if they prefer that. One day, hopefully they will like more things, but for now, at least they are getting some fiber and vitamins from their veggies and fruits.
October 2, 2023
In the food-obsessed town of Muffaletta, kids are expected to develop refined palates by eating a wide variety of foods (including haggis and truffles). When a failed eating placement test earns her a spot in the school's lowest (and most reviled) eating class--Remedial Eating to Change Habits, a.k.a. RETCH--middle schooler and picky eater Minerva struggles with shifting friendships and terrifying menus. But with a little help from other RETCH outcasts, Minerva slowly proves to herself and others that who you are is more than just what you eat.
Interesting and unique; a quirky story for readers who appreciate satire and stories about friendship. I had a little trouble getting my head around the premise; it's kind of realistic fiction, but kind of not in the sense that there's no town that incorporates eating into school curriculums--but readers willing to take that leap will enjoy the culinary banter and character development.
Interesting and unique; a quirky story for readers who appreciate satire and stories about friendship. I had a little trouble getting my head around the premise; it's kind of realistic fiction, but kind of not in the sense that there's no town that incorporates eating into school curriculums--but readers willing to take that leap will enjoy the culinary banter and character development.
March 20, 2022
The school librarian had just put out her newest acquisitions when I saw this book. My nephew is a picky eater (I think it's a fight of wills between his mother and him more than it's just being a picky eater but I also think he's being set up for some eating habits that aren't good for him) so I decided to pick it up to read.
It's adorable. It includes suppression of information, bullying, friendship, betrayal, and lots of pressure. Most of all, it includes subtle ways to fight back and find strength within yourself.
I don't know who all would enjoy this book. I think I'd want to read this with my class in conjunction with Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen. I'd love to guide my students in reading this.
It's adorable. It includes suppression of information, bullying, friendship, betrayal, and lots of pressure. Most of all, it includes subtle ways to fight back and find strength within yourself.
I don't know who all would enjoy this book. I think I'd want to read this with my class in conjunction with Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen. I'd love to guide my students in reading this.
January 9, 2024
Oh my goodness - what a cute book! 😊 I'm so happy my friend lent it to me!
In this world - food is everything! 🤤
So of course as I was reading this, it made me hungry! Haha!
It's a cute story that's about a girl called Minerva, who's a picky eater! In her town, the kids are required to eat a variety of different foods from spicy peppers to...sheep intestines 🤢 She ends up failing a placement test which lands her in a remedial Eating class where she meets a bunch of misfit, picky eaters like herself! 🍽
I loved the little lessons throughout the story; seeing the characters faced with challenges any normal middle schooler would face and overcoming them to better themselves. I love watching Minerva grow and mature as the story progressed as well. This is a quick and fun read! Would definitely recommend! Although get ready to feel hungry 😋🍟🍕🥞🥪🍦🍧
In this world - food is everything! 🤤
So of course as I was reading this, it made me hungry! Haha!
It's a cute story that's about a girl called Minerva, who's a picky eater! In her town, the kids are required to eat a variety of different foods from spicy peppers to...sheep intestines 🤢 She ends up failing a placement test which lands her in a remedial Eating class where she meets a bunch of misfit, picky eaters like herself! 🍽
I loved the little lessons throughout the story; seeing the characters faced with challenges any normal middle schooler would face and overcoming them to better themselves. I love watching Minerva grow and mature as the story progressed as well. This is a quick and fun read! Would definitely recommend! Although get ready to feel hungry 😋🍟🍕🥞🥪🍦🍧
January 30, 2025
This book spoke to my soul. As a life-long picky eater, EXTREME picky eater, I've never felt so seen and understood. I almost didn't buy this book because I thought it would focus on the disgusting foods they were trying to convince the picky eaters to eat, but it wasn't like that at all. On top of that, it also addressed what to do when you find yourself in a mean/bullying friendship and how to come to terms with weirdness. No sex, swearing, or innuendo. All around, just wonderful.
On a side note, I discovered when I was nearly 40 that my extreme "picky eating" is actually scientifically based and I have a digestive disorder called gastroparesis. I spent my whole life feeling like a ridiculous drama queen only to find out that my body can't process...anything. It's not my fault. and it might not be yours, either.
On a side note, I discovered when I was nearly 40 that my extreme "picky eating" is actually scientifically based and I have a digestive disorder called gastroparesis. I spent my whole life feeling like a ridiculous drama queen only to find out that my body can't process...anything. It's not my fault. and it might not be yours, either.
October 27, 2021
What if eating the food in front of you was a skill that was GRADED in school? Valued by your community? And you didn't like green peppers? Or cantaloupe? Or salmon? Minerva faces this exact situation as she begins middle school. Publicly shamed by her best "friend" and disappointing her parents all the while, Minerva can't choke down the food she's expected to eat to get good grades. However, only in remedial eating does she examine what is important to her, and discovers her own strengths along the way. Hadn't read one quite like this before. Interesting idea! Picky eaters will get the vindication they (we) deserve!
April 16, 2022
*Note: I was given a free digital copy to read in return for an honest review of the book.
Although I have not personally read The League of Picky Eaters, I selected this book for my 10-year-old daughter to read. She is a very picky eater, and the title piqued her interest. Not enjoying reading, finding anything she would find interesting is a challenge. I’m happy to say this book held her interest from beginning to end. That, in my book (pun intended), automatically rates the book at least 4 stars, which is the same rating my daughter gave the book. I intend to place a paper copy of this book in my classroom library so other children can read it.
Although I have not personally read The League of Picky Eaters, I selected this book for my 10-year-old daughter to read. She is a very picky eater, and the title piqued her interest. Not enjoying reading, finding anything she would find interesting is a challenge. I’m happy to say this book held her interest from beginning to end. That, in my book (pun intended), automatically rates the book at least 4 stars, which is the same rating my daughter gave the book. I intend to place a paper copy of this book in my classroom library so other children can read it.
October 28, 2021
This book reminded me a lot of the great treehouse war by Lisa graff in that the plot is, taken at face value, ridiculous- but is ultimately about deeper themes that affect all children. However, I don’t think the LOPE does it as well. It didn’t feel very resolved and I think it would have been more interesting to delve further into the conspiracy behind hiding the truth of Julia Child’s views on certain foods from the community and students.
May 26, 2023
I admit I (before I quit) "Twitter-know" the author, and have been reading her writing since her Television Without Pity days. I bought this book for my niece and just discovered my library had an ebook available, so I decided to read it, even though I am very far from being middle grade. I really enjoyed this book! Full of clever turns of phrase, kindness, empowerment. And totally agree that green bell peppers leave the worst "flavor fingerprints" ever!
January 16, 2024
This book is a great book for anyone whether you are a picky Eater or not. I have to say, this book made me laugh out loud, cry, and feel proud of the students in RETCH. As a picky Eater myself, I understand how hard it can be to hear other people tell you that you should like a food. This book also deals with bullies, learning to stand up for yourself, and knowing who your true friends are.
February 27, 2025
As a picky eater, I loved the descriptions and the author nailed the emotions and frustrations a picky eater feels. The is a book for late middle school or early YA, but I was so appreciative of her description of a picky eater, I went out and bought her nonfiction book on the science behind picky eaters, which is perfectly titled, Suffering Succotash!
March 20, 2024
I had SO much fun reading this one out loud to one of my own beloved picky eaters. We both were laughing and smiling throughout.
Funnily enough, it ended up helping me be a little bit more chill about that too.
Funnily enough, it ended up helping me be a little bit more chill about that too.
December 21, 2021
Original, relatable, and hilarious. A fave MG of 2021!
Read
May 8, 20222022- The idea was cute, but overall it was just okay.
June 24, 2022
4.5 stars
June 10, 2023
Pretty cute!
November 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, I have a lot of difficulty with food (autism :3) and seeing the characters have similar struggles be taken seriously meant a lot to me when I read it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews