97 pages • 3 hours read
Alan BradleyThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
- Genre: Fiction; mystery, historical fiction
- Originally Published: 2009
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 960L; high school/adult
- Structure/Length: 35 chapters; approx. 416 pages; approx. 9 hours and 53 minutes on audio
- Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel introduces Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old amateur sleuth with a passion for chemistry (especially poisons), in 1950s England. When Flavia discovers a dying man in the cucumber patch of their country mansion, she gets embroiled in a mystery that involves her father. The central conflict revolves around Flavia’s effort to uncover the truth and prove her father’s innocence.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death; murder; mild peril and danger; bullying
Alan Bradley, Author
- Bio: Born 1938; Canadian author, known for his Flavia de Luce series; spent his early career in television broadcasting and taught at the University of Saskatchewan before turning to writing.
- Other Works: The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag (Flavia de Luce #2, 2010); A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce #3, 2011); I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4, 2011)
- Awards: Debut Dagger Award (2007); Agatha Award for Best First Novel (2009); Dilys Winn Award (2009); Barry Award for Best First Novel (2010); Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel (2010); Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel (2010); Spotted Owl Award (2010); YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (2010)
