A review by rebelbelle13
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt

3.0

The Search for Delicious feels like and builds up as a fairy tale, but without the satisfying payoff at the end. Babbitt's opening line is magical: "There was a time once when the earth was still very young, a time some call the oldest days." The prologue is actually the best part of this novel. The premise is a little silly- finding the definition of the word 'delicious' for the royal dictionary- and folks are actually fighting about it. The villain isn't the least threatening, the mermaid only makes brief appearances, and there isn't enough world-building here to make the story memorable. There's no reason for certain characters to make the choices they do, and it's a little frustrating. All in all, it's a cute, short story, but the ending feels rushed, and there's no big reveal or lesson to be learned, no secret royalty or happily ever after. It just is. If you're looking for a brief fairy tale that's a little different, this is it.