My son brought this home from his school library, and at first I thought, "Oh great, another weird book about food." But he actually cracked up while reading it, which is always a good sign. It's about this truly disgusting guy, Rufus, who only eats the grossest things. He decides to bake a cake with all kinds of nasty ingredients, and wouldn't you know it, the cake comes to life and wants to eat HIM. It's basically a story about karma for picky eaters, but told in a really silly way.
He devoured it in one sitting, which is unusual for him. He said the pictures were really funny, especially the cake's grumpy face. I flipped through it after he was done, and the writing is definitely easy to follow, with lots of funny words and phrases. The illustrations are bright and cartoonish, which kept him engaged. It wasn't too long, either, just the right length to hold his attention without him getting bored. He particularly liked the part where the cake chases Rufus around the kitchen with a spoon. Apparently, that's hilarious.
It's an AR level 4.3, so pretty accessible for him as a second grader. He earned 0.5 AR points for it, a nice little boost. The word count is around 525 words, which felt manageable. He's not a super strong reader, but he had no trouble with this one, and even read it aloud to his little sister (who also thought it was funny, even if she didn't understand all the words).
This is perfect for the kid who loves gross-out humor and silly stories. If your child is easily scared, maybe skip it, because the cake does try to eat the guy. But if they enjoy books like "The Stinky Cheese Man," they'll probably get a kick out of this one. My son's already asked to read it again, which is always a win in my book.