Tween Tuesday: Baker's Magic

Description:

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.

My Thoughts:

This has all the upper elementary, tween appeal of those classics like Anne of Green Gables or Pippi Longstocking, some of my favorite tween books growing up. As an only child, it sometimes seemed like I was an orphan and left to fend for myself. But I was shy and introverted. Nothing like the characters in my favorite books who were spunky and unique and unafraid. Bee, like Anne and Pippi  must fend for herself, but like these two other characters, she is spunky and brave different (and unafraid). She not only finds the source of her magic, but she is able to harness that magic to save her "family."  That kind of magic has never felt far fetched. Young ladies will find much to admire in Bee.