Bee is an orphan, alone in a poor, crumbling kingdom. In desperation, she steals a bun from a bakery, and to her surprise, the baker offers her a place at his shop. As she learns to bake, Bee discovers that she has a magical power. When a new friend desperately needs her help against an evil mage, Bee wonders what an orphan girl with only a small bit of magic can do. Bee's journey to help her friend becomes a journey to save the kingdom, and a discovery of the meaning of family.
I grew up reading children's books and never wanted to do anything but write them. I'm the author of nine middle grade novels, and my newest book is a historical novel called WILD BIRD. I live in the country with my husband and very enthusiastic dog Jinx. Visit my website at www.dianezahler.com.
Princess's, pirates, magic and baking. What more could you possibly want in a book? I utterly adored this. Each page warmed my heart and made me stupidly happy. Despite this being a middle grade book, I enjoyed each and every moment. I would have LOVED reading this as a child, just as I loved reading it today at the age of 19. There are so many lovely messages hidden within this one story. Bee's form of magic is such a wonderful concept, a really unique idea that fit flawlessly with the story. I loved watching Bee's various relationship's unfold, especially with Master Bouts. I found myself really warming to the characters and enjoying their development throughout the story. They had a real depth to them that I wasn't expecting from a middle grade novel. There were so many individual stories and messages wrapped in this one book, each as wonderful as the last. Yet, there wasn't ever any confusion or feeling that there was too much going on. The writing in this was gorgeous and the descriptions of the baked goods quite literally made me hungry, every few pages I found myself with a sudden urge to bake. Wonderful characters, brilliant writing and a captivating story. Bakers Magic is simply gorgeous. (A free copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley.)
Baker's Magic was such a fun, fluffy, and beautiful read! This middle grade fantasy novel was a perfect mix of interesting characters, family values, baking, pirates, and magic! The fact that there was actually a tough female pirate captain was a big +10 for me!
From the very first chapter on, I was already hooked. I felt so connected to the characters and throughout the book that didn't change. Mr Bouts, the baker, has to be one of my favourite characters from this novel. He was an absolute gem!
I loved the fact that this book focused around the Dutch culture. Tulips were a main part of the book, as well as all of the Dutch names (Willem, De Vos, Bouts)!
The writing style was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the descriptiveness of it! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I cannot recommend it enough!
Btw given the fact that it's mainly about baking delicious goods, it's so much fun to see that there is actually a recipe at the end of this book for the 'Bouts Buns' that were mentioned very often in this book! I can't wait to bake them! (And hope I don't fail, because I'm not very good at baking...)
Was delighted to read and blurb this last year, when there wasn't even a Goodreads entry yet! This is a fun, and delicious, fantasy for middle grade readers. I loved the form that Bee's magic took, and I loved Bee and all her newfound friends and family. This reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones' Dalemark books, though a bit more lighthearted.
De vez en cuando me gusta leer libros un poco más infantiles, no solo para relajarme de lecturas más densas o narrativamente más complejas, sino porque en múltiples ocasiones me he llevado grandes sorpresas con ellos. Con "La pastelería mágica" me ha pasado justo eso, me he encontrado con un libro que era mucho más de lo que aparentaba en un primer momento y me ha agradado mucho lo que me he encontrado entre sus páginas... entre los personajes, los giros y los mensajes positivos que da la autora con esta historia de fantasía tan amena. Empezando por una narración que nos da las descripciones justas para ver las calles y paisajes de Aradyn y que no resulten densas, diálogos muy bien gestionados y una pluma sencilla y directa pero que no deja de resultar encantadora; también aguardan grandes sorpresas hacía al final, que acaba por darnos una trama bien hilado, acción, magia por doquier, valores positivos y fantasía en estado puro. Porque hay Magos y Brujos, criaturas de la naturaleza, piratas, desventuras y lazos familiares que la hacen una lectura distendida y más que recomendada.
This was an adorable book for middle grade readers. I flew through it in two hours when I should have been asleep. I'll be a bit tired for work today, but I regret nothing!
The book took tropes of the princess in trouble, pirates, evil mages and turned them on their heads, making me anxious to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.
The book is about love. The love of friends, family and for one's land, both as a country and as something that needs proper stewardship. There are some cute couplings in the book, but refreshingly, none for the MC, who is a bit young for that sort of thing in this book.
I had been reading some rather serious books of late, so this was a nice palate cleanser. I needed this book now. I highly recommend it for middle readers on up. There is some violence, but it's not in your face. I was actually surprised at how muted the pirate scene was. I expected a bit more than was shown. The love interests are very gentle, with some hand holding and lots of blushing. It was really cute actually.
4.5 stars, rounded down because after I finished the book and thought on it for a bit, a few scenes here and there felt a little less crafted than I would have liked. The pacing was also off a bit and I was kind of surprised at the innocence of the townspeople, not thinking the evil mage would be so evil. Nothing horrible, but enough to round down.
Still, overall a very enjoyable book, which I will recommend to our younger readers. I've been reading a lot of older middle reader and YA recently, so it's nice to come across something suitable for younger readers.
My thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Tenía bloqueo lector con ciertos libros, pero afortunadamente ya pude terminarlos :') La Pastelería Mágica es un middle-grade que también me hubiese encantado leer cuando era pequeña, no que ahora no lo disfruté, pero sé que años atrás habría sido más mágico. ¡Tiene de todo! Pasteles mágicos, la princesa y el herrero, el malvado mago, piratas, etc!
If I were a middle-schooler, I would probably find nothing wrong with this book. It has magic, it has the poor orphan girl, it has an evil wizard, and pirates. There is even a female pirate captain. There is a captive princess and a poor blacksmith boy. What else could I possibly want?
The story is about Bee, who lost her parents in a ship wreck and after living with foster parents, has finally struck out on her own, and found herself in a kingdom that resembles the Netherlands, but a magic Netherlands, in some time either after civilization has fallen, or back in magic times. I never could figure that part out.
And Bee apprenticies herself to a baker, and learns to bake emotions into her cookies and pastries.
And yeah, it all turns out well in the end.
And, as I said, if I were a middle-schooler, I would probably love the weird accents on just the pirates, and the fact that the trees were taken away a hundred years ago, so the people don't know about things that grow on trees, even though they import other things, so they should have figured that part out.
Anyway. It was fun enough, if you didn't stop to wonder what the ships were built from, and the furniture, and the houses, and the doors, if there were no trees.
But, that is just me.
Thanks to Netgally for making this book available for an honest review
Esta foi uma leitura que me surpreendeu bastante pela positiva, sinceramente não estava à espera de vir a gostar de um livro assim, mas estava redondamente enganada. Tudo começa com Bee, uma menina órfã muito especial, que desde pequena vive com uns pais adotivos que a maltratam, e por isso quando pode foge dos mesmos. Esta sua fuga faz com que vá parar a uma pequena aldeia com uma pastelaria maravilhosa, que só a descrição feita dos bolos e pães faz crescer água na boca. Achei a estória muito engraçada e imaginativa, cheia de pormenores que fazem viajar por aquele mundo recheado de guloseimas, para além de que (...)
Super boring book that is basically about a girl who coerces people to do things without their consent by essentially drugging them with magic (but it's supposed to be a good thing?). Forgettable characters, mind-numbingly trite plot...there is literally nothing redeemable about this book. I'd only recommend reading it if you need help falling asleep (from boredom).
Me ha encantado, la verdad es que me ha durado solo dos días y eso es que he estado muy enganchada, os dejo la reseña para poder saber mi opinión con más detalle: http://rubiesliterarios.blogspot.com/...
I liked this one, it was cute. I did not realise it was MG until I had started it. But yes I do saw that it was MG when Bee steals something and instead of being angry everyone is worried and helps her ;)
It was a fun tale to listen to. Bee has run away and finds a new home with a baker as his apprentice. And she discovers she has magic when she bakes. She makes friends and all is well.
The constant baking made me hungry, so much yumminess!
But there is a darker side to this story too *coughs* well dark and dark. There is an evil mage and Bee must help someone take him down.
So Bee gets to have quite the adventure with dangers, magic and all things I can not mention cos there goes the plot.
But all in all, a really fun little story that everyone can listen too. It never felt too young. It felt like a fairytale.
Narrators: Elisabeth Rodgers, Stina Nielsen, Robin Miles, Kenneth Cavett, Stephen DeRosa, Tavia Gilbert, Michael Crouch, L.J. Ganser
As you can see it was a full cast. Sure, that works. But did it make it better? I am so used to one person narrating so this was kind of strange. It took me a while to get used to. I did like it, but at the same time, one person narrating is fine too.
Also I have NO idea who did what so I can't say anything about individual performances
My husband (fan of Koontz, Patterson, Cussler...) accidentally had this in his audiobook folder, instead of mine, so he listened to it first. He really really liked it, especially when Bea (sp?) first met the trees. There's a strong environmental message here, but it's wrapped in such a creative little fantasy it's a joy to listen to. The audio is very well narrated. There are a few imperfections, for example but nothing took me out of the story and I looked forward to my morning walk every day to listen to the next installment. I will look for more by the author. And of course now I crave pastries.
I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've read a book by this author in the past, and I really enjoyed it. Baker's Magic, however, I found to be even more engaging. I loved it.
When I saw this book, I expected it to be original and exciting, both of which it was. I'm going to assume that you read the blurb on the top of this page, and so am going to skip the plot overview.
Firstly, this is one of the plot points that I particularly liked.
The people in this kingdom have never seen a tree. And so they don't know about apples, cherries, walnuts, or maple syrup. This never ceased to amuse me. I enjoyed the characters' reactions to the giant plants. The kingdom's lack of trees was actually one of the main problems of the book; It had never occurred to me how important trees really were, especially in the areas near bodies of water.
This plot point was very original in the way that it was done; not to mention the originality in the way that the main characters were able to have the trees return to the kingdom from which they had, essentially, been banned.
I loved the world that the author created; it was so easy to get sucked into this novel. I found myself completely oblivious to the world outside me, only wondering what would be happening next, and how each problem would be solved.
The characters. Oh the characters were such fun! There was the tomboy Bee, our main character, who lives up to her name; she's got a bit of a sting. She amused me, and I loved her ability to I was interested to see how this ability was used throughout the book; it was useful at times that I would never have expected, and the other characters' reactions when they found out that she had used her ability on them were also quite funny.
Then there was Wil the Blacksmith who would rather be a gardener than a blacksmith, Princess Anika who reads the dictionary in her spare time, the fatherly Master Bouts who is the baker who takes Bee in as his apprentice, the evil mage Master Joris with his ... strange collections, a pretty dang awesome pirate captain named Zafira Zay (A woman, no less!), and lastly there was the hedge wizard Bartholomew.
Bartholomew doesn't actually enter the story until a little over half way through. Bartholomew is a hedge wizard, meaning that though he does have magic, he isn't nearly as powerful as a mage and can only control one little part of the world. For example, another hedge wizard in the book had power over bees.
There is a plot twist regarding Bartholomew. When I found out what this plot twist was, it made me smile. I really liked the character development it prompted in Bee.
From characters getting rescued by a pirate ship, to instructing trees to paddle an island around, to unintentionally starting an argument between a bunch of old, retired mages, this book is full of fun twists, turns, and events. Among all its fun, however, it has a lot of heart and leaves you feeling warm and happy.
**An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
Don't bake angry!
Whatever mood Bee is in when she bakes is the same mood whoever eats her baked goods will be in. This magic can be useful, but sometimes pretty rough, especially when Bee bakes in a bad mood, and before they figure out that's the cause of the unusually ill-tempered customers. But Bee also is a pretty rad baker, and soon the royal palace wants Bee's baked good delivered to the palace, where she discovers a rather nasty arranged marriage in the making and dastardly plots ruinous to the country. She befriends the Princess Anika and helps her to escape so they can go inform the Mage Council of the unsavory goings-on in Zeewal. Along the way, they encounter a friendly gang of roving tulip pirates, father figures, and tree spirits. Oh, and Anika has a pet hedgehog, so that's cool.
I was so very pleased that Wil had a sort-of romance with Anika and NOT with Bee. #blessed
Overall, it was okay and there were some elements that I very much enjoyed, but it didn't bridge the gap for older readers as well as some MG books manage to, so that I would probably only recommend it for the intended audience.
I also got my hands on a hard-copy, so props to Capstone for their quality of publishing - the pages were thick and the binding was strong and tight.
This was so cute! I love Diane Zahler’s books, and I was so excited to finally find a copy of this one to try. Just like all of her others this one is a fun, fairytale type story with a fun plot and great characters.
Baker’s Magic has a ton going on, seriously there’s a land without trees, pirates, a quest story and so much more. In parts it does get a little confusing and you have to suspend your disbelief but the story at its heart is so pure and good.
I really liked the main character Bee. She was so empathetic and so willing to do what was right and I loved how she came into her own by the end of the book. The other character I really liked was Master Bouts the chef. He was so kind and I loved how he saw a nasty gremlin street child and was like she’s mine now. The aspect of found family was super cute.
This is a really great book for kids probably 8 or 9+. Many young teens would probably enjoy it too. Good adventure/friendship story with magic, a princess, pirates, etc. It made me want to bake and eat! I especially loved the audiobook with its cast of readers and the recipe at the end. I also really appreciated its rich vocabulary.
Some favorite lines: “Our own difficulties shouldn’t blind us to the difficulties of others.”
“‘I do wish I had a skill like that!’ ‘You’re a princess,’ Wil pointed out. ‘You don’t really need a skill.’ ‘What a foolish thing to say,’ Anika chided him. ‘A good ruler needs all manner of expertise.’”
Wholesome, heartwarming, and easy to read. Middle grade fantasy with cozy baking, magic, adventure, friendship and found family, pirates, wizards, and more. Great book to get you out of a reading slump that I would recommend to readers of any age!
Received this free from netgalley for a fair and honest review. Again sped through this in one sitting. A captivating tale in a land far away, for the young at heart and the adventurous of spirit. Cleverly written it keeps the reader entertained with enough twists and turns, and original characters, interwoven with some magic and Eco- lessons we all should take to heart. Bee has set off on her own hungrier and dirtier than a junkyard dog, and gets snagged stealing from a talented Baker who decides to trade her cleaning skills for the stolen food. They partner up, he teaches her to bake, and they work their way up into the good graces of the royals, only to find out that all is not well with " the upper crust crowd." Something unsettling is afoot within the musty old castle, and Busy Bee can't resist finding out what it is. With her new found friend Wil the apprentice blacksmith, she sets her sights on finding out why the only tree in this tiny kingdom is inside the castle walls and why when she gets angry, the nuffins she bakes puts everyone who eats them in a bad mood. Magicians, kidnappings and Pirates, oh my? What's not to love? What is really going on here?
***This book is a Nominee for the 2017-18 Golden Sowers Chapter Book List.***
Bee has always been on her own, living as an orphan since her parents were killed in a shipwreck. She has finally run away and finds herself in a the town of Zeewal, where she is taken in by the local baker. There she discovers that she has a bit of magic and is able to bake her feelings into the breads and pastries she makes. This skill, along with her innate talents, earns her a chance to bake for the palace. There she meets the elusive princess and ends up setting off on an adventure with the blacksmith's son to save the kingdom.
This is a good introduction to high fantasy. The characters are likable and there aren't any major conflicts. Students who would enjoy world-building fantasies but aren't ready for all of their complexity would most likely enjoy this quick read. Some notes: it is LONG at 330 pages, so not all students will have the stamina for it. Also, the magic is only a part of the story; students expecting a Harry Potter/Hogwarts world might be disappointed.
This was absolutely marvelous. I sincerely hope lots of people discover this book. It was filled with adventure and magic and warm and lovely characters. I appreciated the quick pace of the book-no lagging, stuff starts happening right away and continues right through the end. It felt like an old fashioned fairy tale with challenges, disasters, and intrepid heroes. The pirate captain was an especially fun character and really the whole take on not knowing what a tree was (and any of the amazing foods that come from trees!) was unique and a great addition to traditional magical/fairy tale type elements. As a baker I loved the baking parts of the story and nothing made me happier than to finish the book and find a recipe for the much touted Bouts Buns. I can't wait to make them. I'm encouraging the rest of my family to read this and if they don't on their own I insist there be an audiobook for us to listen to on a car trip. Highly recommended.
~ An amazing, innovative, original fantasy setting, vaguely Netherlands-like ~ Believable, strong characters all around (I loved Bouts, the Baker) ~ An incredible, tomboish, brave, resourceful heroine ~ UNIQUE MAGIC SYSTEM ~ Hedgehogs ~ Baking, and the awareness that no gift is too small not to be of value ~ A good plot ~ RECIPES
I MEAN WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK?!
Nothing. Which is why this book is interesting, gripping and fascinating all in one. It is good for age 8 to infinite (I am 30. I enjoyed it).
Baker’s Magic is a perfect read for middle grade readers who enjoy a good quest, some friendship, and an absence of gore or outright violence, and a discussion of friendship and family.
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La pastelería mágica nos narra la historia de una niña llamada Bee; quien con mucha hambre llega a un pueblo y al tener bastante tiempo sin ingerir alimentos, decide ir a robarse unos panecillos a una panadería, pero tuvo tan mala suerte que el chef del lugar la ve y la atrapa con las manos en la masa.
El pastelero quien respondía al nombre de Maese Bouts se portó muy amable con ella al escuchar la razón por la que se comió eso y le pregunta sobre su familia, al parecer Bee es huerfana y no tiene un lugar a donde ir, es ahí cuando es "adoptada" con la condición que sea ayudante en la pastelería.
Es así que desde que aprende a cocinar todo cambia, porque al parecer la niña tiene un poder, y es que depende del humor que tenga al cocinar,éste podrá ser transmitido a quienes coman el pastel.
La pastelería se vuelvo un furor porque todos aman los pastelillos, el rumor llega hasta al castillo en donde son requeridos los postres de Maese Bouts, Bee aprovecha la oportunidad y es ahí cuando al llevarlos conoce a la princesa Anika y a su tío, a su vez se da cuenta que él quiere que la princesa desaparezca Justo ahí nuestra aventura da inicio.
Primero quiero decir que no sabía que podía encontrarme en el libro, y por lo que les conté arriba podría decirse que el libro se divide en varias partes, de hecho al leerlo sentía que no tenía sentido pero ahorita les explico.
Me causa conflicto que solo en una ocasión visitó a la princesa y curiosamente cuando le contó de la traición del tío, ésta le creyera, porque claro, todos confiamos en las personas aunque los hayamos visto una vez (que se note el sarcasmo)
Cuando le cuenta deciden irse sin rumbo, hasta donde los lleve el viento, curiosamente en el mar no les va tan bien y terminan en el barco de unos piratas dirigidos por una capitana, quien le cuenta un secreto a la princesa sobre su padre, es ahí cuando van en busca de los magos y adivinen qué, sí, curiosamente también sucede algo que tiene mucho sentido para la novela.
Lo que quiero decir es que el libro es muy predecible, bastante infantil y los protagonistas tienen la mejor suerte del mundo, de hecho no entendía por qué Bee puede trasmitir sus emociones a los pastelitos, o a qué iba todo eso, pero como repito es una estrategia para que las piezas de este rompecabezas llamado La pastelería mágica tenga sentido.
Nada hubiera cambiado si en vez de pasteles Bee cocinara sushi mágico.
El libro es de esos que son excelentes para los niños, aunque considero que es un tanto pesado donde se supone que comienza lo bueno es donde en mi opinión comenzó a decaer.
La portada es cute, eso y el principio de la novela es lo que más rescato. No hay mucho que decir puesto que no es un libro que haya cambiado mi vida, no es un libro que recomiendo, de hecho he leído muchísimos libros infantiles mejores, pero sí les da curiosidad por leerlo, yo sería feliz de leer su opinión.
No sabía si dejarle 2 o 3 estrellas, pero como fueron más cosas malas que buenas le dejé 2.
Este libro fue taan entretenido! Me encantó la historia, los personajes y los escenarios. Amé que hubiesen piratas, magia y personajes ingeniosos. Una muy bonita historia infantil con temáticas como la familia, el medioambiente, la cocina y la magia. Me encantaría que fuera publicado en español.
La historia se trata de Bee una niña que es huerfana y termina trabajando en una panadería luego de un altercado que tuvo ahí. Resulta que ella tiene un poder mágico cuando hornea y es que Descubrir este poder o magia provoca que Bee sea partícipe de salvar el reino, el cual está siendo gobernado por el guardián de la princesa ya que ella también es huérfana. Este "rey" ha eliminado todos los árboles del reino y plantado tulipanes, al no haber árboles, el reino es azotado por las inclemencias del clima con mayor violencia que cuando sí había árboles años atrás. Encontré que esa premisa era muy interesante, en especial porque siendo este un libro middle grade tiene como "oculto" el mensaje sobre el cuidado del medioambiente y la importancia de los ecosistemas.
Obvio que no les contaré cómo Bee supera los obstáculos, pero te terminas llevando una que otra agradable sorpresa a medida que lees (o escuchas, que fue mi caso) Las aventuras de Bee con sus compañeros fueron muy entretenidas, con personajes geniales como la capitana del barco pirata y en especial Master Bouts el panadero.
Una lectura entretenida, incluso cuando ya estás un poco grande para las historias de niños jajaja.
This is really an adorable book, a sort of fairy tale about 12-year-old Bee, an orphan who becomes a baker's apprentice and discovers that the people who eat her cakes experience whatever emotion she was feeling while she makes them. (A one-star review complained that this is basically drugging people without their consent, which...is true, I guess.)
I started to really like this book when I started noticing little worldbuilding hints dropped, and sure enough, it turns out that this kingdom has no trees - and so ingredients from trees, like nuts and citrus, are unknown. It also turns out that the reason for the lack of trees is that the evil mage Joris, who is regent for the 16-year-old princess Anika (also an orphan) cut them all down a hundred years ago (mages live a long time) to plant tulips which he exports and sells. (And that is a little bit of worldbuilding fail, because if you can ship stuff out, presumably you can ship stuff in? But no matter. *handwave* There are a few bits of dubious worldbuilding and odd plot points, but I still liked the book overall.)
The adventure starts when Bee and Anika meet and become friends, and includes wizards, pirates (including a female pirate captain!), and tree spirits (essentially dryads). There are big themes of family and found family, and it's all quite sweet, with a few age-appropriate scary moments and a dramatic ending. The full-cast audio reading is truly delightful.