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In Renee Beauregard Lute’s heartfelt middle grade adventure, told with a charming and clever middle grade voice and remarkable tenderness, Tacoma Jones sets off from her family’s Pacific Northwest roadside diner to steal back an important picture for her dad, while making a plan to cook the best dinner ever—and maybe make some friends along the way.

Tacoma Jones loves working at her family’s roadside diner, the Brake Fast, pouring coffee and serving eggs and muffins to truckers all day long. But tonight, she is finally going to break out her collection of cookbooks and prepare the best dinner the state of Washington has ever seen.

Except today is one of Dad’s bad days, when his depression makes it hard for him to get out of bed. To make matters worse, trucker Crocodile Kyle, their most unpleasant customer, comes by with nasty words for Tacoma—and a hint that he’s the reason that Dad’s prized photograph went missing from the diner wall.

Tacoma knows she can’t fix her dad’s depression. But what she can do is get his photo back from Kyle, while also planning a dinner that is sure to brighten up his bad day. She just might need an accomplice or two to pull off the heist. . . .

With road-trip mishaps, a murderous rooster, SnoBalls, anxiety attacks, and unexpected friendship, Renee Beauregard Lute has written a story of adventure that’s as heartwarming as a stack of buttery, syrupy pancakes.