A science club competition gives young experimenters opportunities aplenty to design, assemble, and test a simple but effective project. June's upset when her science teacher announces that the competition will be held in the park rather than at school; June doesn't like new places. But after pausing to take a breath and get some extra encouragement from her big sister, she regains her equilibrium--and goes on to work with teammates Eli and Sofia to construct, with some realistic trial and error, a solar oven from cardboard and aluminum foil. Now the question is: Would it be better to layer the pepperoni on top of the cheese to make the best pizza cracker, or vice versa? June displays subtle but recognizable signs of neurodivergence while working comfortably with neurotypical classmates, adding nuance to this simple demonstration of science and the scientific method in action. Rather than declaring a winner, the author leaves her characters building on their success by planning to bake s'mores. Motivated readers need only turn the page to find even more extension activities, plus an explanation of how solar ovens work and instructions for building one of their own. June is pale-skinned, while Sofia's brown-skinned and Eli is tan-skinned; the Corcutts' sunny cartoon illustrations depict several racially diverse groups of competitors at work on adjacent picnic tables. Dishes up a delicious result, combining multiple thematic ingredients.

-- Kirkus Reviews.