Ariana Treasure: The Secret Ingredient by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern, illustrated by Karen Erasmus

Title: Ariana Treasure: The Secret Ingredient

Author: Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern, illustrated by Karen Erasmus

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Wombat Books

Published: 5^th March 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 50

Price: $10.99

Synopsis: Join Ariana at the Treasure Chest – come and find the secret ingredient.

Ariana is excited for the food truck competition.
Her friends Hunter and Jake are confident their family will win the big prize. All they need is a standout dish.
Can they find what they need at the Treasure Chest?

The Secret Ingredient is the second book in the Ariana Treasure early reader series.

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Ariana Treasure is a fun new, early reader series from Wombat Books by Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern, and it kicked off with The Missing Book. Now, Ariana is back and is off to help her friends Jake and Hunter, and their family win a food truck competition. So, they’ve come to visit Ariana and her mother at The Treasure Chest to get inspiration and find the right dish – and a way to get the brothers to work together. The thrift shop is sure to have the answers – but when Mr and Mrs Garcia get sick, Ariana and her mother step in – but can the secret ingredient for success be found?

The Secret Ingredient is the second book in the new Ariana Treasure early reader series. It follows Ariana Treasure and her adventures in the shop, helping people in her community to find exactly what it is that they need. Each book tackles a different issue, a different challenge that shows the power of friendship and community and what happens when everyone works together to achieve a goal. It means that helping Hunter and Jack will create a bit of magic with something wholly unexpected.

Not only do books like this encourage children to learn to read independently, but they also have fun storylines that can help them learn about the world they’re living in and how they can help people and share things. These books are filled with wonder and joy, and can help build vocabulary for young readers, either at home or in an educational environment. This series and its first two books are charming stories, easy to read in one sitting for confident readers, or a few sittings for readers at the start of their reading journey, and exploring longer texts than they have in the past. Stories like this are fun and help kids discover the magic of reading, and the joys it can bring. The simple plot and language are engaging, and capture the pure innocence of childhood and fun that kids have every day.