Harper reprises the Edible Book contest

Sharing your favorite book can be a piece of cake — or a whole one. Harper College is challenging the community to turn favorite reads into tasty treats as part of its annual Edible Books Contest, at noon Friday, Nov. 18.

The culinary-meets-literary competition invites local residents to cook up concoctions that channel bookshelf masterpieces. Previous entries have ranged from a sushi-covered “The Old Man and the Sea” treat to a pound cake topped with a Rice Krispies, chocolate battle droid representing “Starship Troopers.”

A slate of judges will critique each creation — and then slice up the entries for all to eat afterward.

“This is a fun way to show off the library and put a new spin on the joy of reading,” says Michele Ukleja, coordinator of user services at the Harper Library. “We’re certain local readers will be able to cook up a book so good we’ll literally want to devour it.”

This year’s competition steers competitors to one specific book suggestion: “The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart,” a novel written by a former Harper assistant professor and the college’s choice for its One Book, One Harper program launched this fall.

Judges will look for the best representation of that book, and winners also will be chosen in three other categories: Best Adult Book, Best Children’s Book and Most Popular, as voted by the crowd.

The contest is free and open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to cast a vote for their favorite. Entry forms are at the Harper Library, Building F on the College’ main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine, or online at www.harpercollege.edu/library.