Baker's Magic

by Diane Zahler

Hardcover, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Capstone Young Readers (2016), 336 pages

Description

Bee is an orphan in the poor kingdom of Aradyn, and when she is caught stealing a bun from a bakery, the lonely baker offers to take her on as an apprentice--but when she meets Princess Anika, and the evil mage Joris who is her "guardian" she embarks on a journey to save Anika, and restore the kingdom its rightful ruler.

User reviews

LibraryThing member acargile

A wonderful, magic story with pirates, princesses, bakers, and good-hearted townspeople; oh, let’s throw in a villain as well!

Bee has left her life of abuse with her foster family and has wandered to a new town where she takes a bun to eat because she’s so hungry! She’s accused of stealing

which upsets her. Once the townspeople and the baker discover how hungry she is and that she’s alone, they want to help. The baker feeds her and offers her the back room where there’s a bed. She’s welcome to stay as long as she likes if she’ll help with the baking. Bee discovers that she loves baking, which surprises her because no one liked anything she baked at her former home.

Let’s start with the people. Mr. Bouts is the baker and he’s so sweet, becoming a father figure for Bee. Wil is the blacksmith’s son and apprentice who becomes Bee’s friend. Then there’s Princess Anika, the villain Master Joris, and pirates! Master Joris loves tulips, so there are beautiful tulips everywhere. What’s missing? Trees. They have no trees and don’t even know what they are, which means they’ve never tasted anything that comes from a tree: apples, nuts, spices, etc. They also don’t know what wood is. When Master Joris decides to marry Princess Anika off to an old man, Bee helps Anika escape and their adventure begins to free the kingdom from Master Joris.

I really enjoyed the joy of this book--it’s sweet. I can’t imagine not loving the baker, Mr. Bouts. He’s awesome! The book is so adorable and lovely that you must read it!

Show Less

8 more

LibraryThing member imtanner2

Super fun fairy tale with amazing vocabulary!

LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian

A story that takes place in a land far away. It has princesses, wizards (both good and evil), pirates, an orphan, magical trees and a poor kingdom. Bee is an orphan who has left her foster home and is caught steeling a bun. When a young man sticks up for her, she is taken under the wing of the

baker and becomes his apprentice. It turns out that she has some magic and depending upon what she is thinking about when she bakes, the person eating the pastries begins to feel and act that way. Their kingdom has been ruled by an evil mage for the past 12 years since the death of the king. He is planning to marry the young princess off to an old man so he can have complete control of the kingdom. When Bee meets the princess, they become friends. Bee and Anika hatch a plan to go to the isle of mages to get them to remove the mage from their island. Once Bee, Anika and Bee's friend Wil head off on this journey they have wonderful adventures that will keep you reading to find out what happens next.

This book is about love, friendship, loyalty, perseverence and courage. A great story for children grades 3 to 8. It can also be enjoyed by older people, even as an adult I enjoyed this story. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Show Less

LibraryThing member foggidawn

A girl who can infuse the items she bakes with her emotions befriends a princess and faces down an evil mage. The characters were good, but there were too many holes in the world building and plot for me to really enjoy this one.

LibraryThing member trayceetee

I recently did a book discussion on literary cookbooks (cookbooks inspired by works of literature); one of the patrons attending the discussion suggested I read this book. (I only discovered later that it's on the list of books up for a local award this year.)
I really, REALLY enjoyed this book! I

love that the protagonist in this story, Bee, is feisty and independent, yet she very quickly becomes close to people in her life. She's got a unique skill for baking (which I love), and as an added bonus, she's got magic skills--that of incorporating her current mood into the items she bakes. At first, that is a problem for Bee. But once she learns to harness this power, it works largely to her advantage.
I had a great time following Bee on her adventures, and I was pleased, at the end of the story, to find the recipe for her mentor's cinnamon rolls!

Show Less

LibraryThing member quondame

12 year old runaway Bee is taken in by a baker and her abilities manifest. An imprisoned princess, a reluctant blacksmith's apprentice, an evil mage, an island of dotty old mages, two floating islands and a kingdom's worth of trees all feature with one of the most delightful pirate queens of

children's literature.

Show Less

LibraryThing member benuathanasia

Excellent. Very much on par with Terry Pratchet.

LibraryThing member Kristelh

This was a free audio from the summer program. It is a story set in the Netherlands and it has priates, wizards and Mages, and social/environmental commentaries. The little girl, Bea, can do magic with her baking. She influences how people feel. This is definitely a middle school read.

LibraryThing member MargaretPemberton

A lovely story of magic mixed with baking. This is full of adventure and swashbuckling heroes as well as those who help by doing the small but important things.

Fewer