Book description
In Paris, there is a café, elegantly furnished with polished wooden
tables and an awning of striped gold and green, whose walls are filled
with vintage posters advertising drinks such as Green Fairy Liqueur,
Mermaid Madeira and Red Devil Lemonade. And sitting on the bar is a
large, silver, steam-powered espresso coffee machine. The café is owned
by Monsieur Moutarde, and Monsieur Moutarde has made the most
extraordinary discovery. With the help of his friend, Madame
Pamplemousse, he has created a time-travel machine (for that is what the
espresso coffee machine is). Very special, highly flavoured, intense
ingredients are fed into the machine, where they are subatomically
blended with quantum froth and space-time foam. The resulting liquid
looks like a small black coffee but in fact transports the drinker
through time and space.
But this is a dangerous invention. For who knows what would happen
if it fell into the wrong hands? Before long, Monsieur Moutarde,
Madame Pamplemousse, her cat, Camembert, and her friend, Madeleine,
are on the run through space and time to capture a T. rex's freshly
caught drool and the tears of the rare sphinx - vital ingredients for
a tonic that will both save them and revive the ailing spirit of Paris.
A magical romp that will charm and delight.
Rupert Kingfisher's first book, Madame Pamplemousse and Her
Incredible Edibles, was highly acclaimed. His favourite authors
as a child were Roald Dahl, Susan Cooper and Ursula le Guin. He also
loved American horror comics and French cartoon books such as
Asterix and Tintin. It was on a family holiday to Paris
that Rupert discovered Tintin - and ate anchovies for the first
time. He says that both experiences were equally life changing.
Rupert studied Philosophy at Bristol University and Play Writing at
the Central School of Speech and Drama. Rupert has had plays performed
in Dublin, Edinburgh, London and on BBC Radio 4. He grew up in
Oxfordshire and now lives in Brentford, Middlesex.
