Bliss

December 19, 2011
The Follow Your Bliss Bakery has a remedy for everything. Stone Sleep Snickerdoodles can cure sleepwalking, and Fluffy White Macaroons once lifted a neighbor right out of a well. When the Bliss parents go on a business trip, they leave the key to their magical Bliss Cookery Booke with 12-year-old Rosemary, and things go haywire. “Aunt” Lily (a distant cousin) shows up, charming Rosemary’s siblings, but Rosemary senses Lily’s true aim: to steal the book. The only way to test Lily’s trustworthiness is to whip up some of the magical recipes and observe her reactions. After Rosemary’s brother distributes their experiments to the whole town, creating crowds of love-struck teenagers, nuns who can’t hold their tongues, and general mayhem, Rosemary wonders if she’s fit to be a “kitchen magician” after all. Littlewood’s first novel mixes the sincere and the silly with entertaining results. This lighthearted family adventure offers a well-meaning and believably insecure heroine, as well as boisterous sibling interactions, and the open-ended finale suggests that readers can expect to see the Bliss family again soon. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Stearns and Ted Malawer, the Inkhouse.

December 15, 2011
Twelve-year-old Rose and her siblings stir up trouble in Calamity Falls when they experiment with some old family recipes after their parents leave the Bliss bakery in their hands. Ever since she saw "her mother fold a lightning bolt into a bowl of batter," Rose has known "her parents made magic in the Bliss bakery." Their secret recipes, guarded in the Bliss Cookery Booke, have discreetly averted many catastrophes in Calamity Falls. Next to her gorgeous brother Ty, her funny brother Sage and her adorable sister Leigh, dependable Rose feels invisible, but she longs to be a "good baker wizard." When her parents go away, Rose is left in charge of the Cookery Booke and warned to let no one open or move it. Immediately, a mysterious stranger named Lily arrives, announcing she's a distant cousin who's come to help with the bakery. Rose suspects Lily really wants the Booke, but she falls under Lily's insidious influence and finds herself baking and dispensing Love Muffins and Cookies of Truth with hilarious results. As Rose bakes her way out of trouble, she must choose between Lily and her own family. A heroine with baking in her blood and a zany plot liberally sprinkled with humor blend into fun family adventure. Black-and-white spot art highlights story elements. Lighthearted bliss. (Fantasy. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Twelve-year-old Rose's mother is an excellent baker, and the lightning bolt or weasel's yawn that she adds to normal ingredients gives her cookies and muffins an extra little something that helps keep trouble at bay in their town. Combating a summer flu epidemic, the mayor of neighboring Humbleton begs the Bliss parents to come to his town to make their almond croissants, known for abating flu symptoms. They demur: How will they keep their home-based bakery operational while they are gone, and who will take care of their four children? They finally agree that Rose and teenage Ty can keep things running with the help of their neighbor and the bakery assistant. Before leaving, the parents lock away the Bliss Cookery Booke and entrust the key to Rose, with instructions that there will be no magic and that the Booke is not to be disturbed. Soon, beautiful, enigmatic Aunt Lily arrives and seems to cast a spell on the children. When she tells them of her plans to host a TV show featuring the most wonderful recipes in the world, Ty and Sage immediately want to let their aunt see the cookbook. As a compromise, Rose agrees that she and Ty can try out a few of the recipes, showing Lily the finished products. Chaos quickly ensues throughout the town when one recipe after another goes slightly wrong. Humor abounds in this sweet story that stresses the importance of family, and readers will enjoy getting to know the eccentric Bliss family. The cliff-hanger ending hints at a sequel.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 3-6 There is something magical about the pastries from the Bliss family bakery. The residents of Calamity Falls will admit to as much, though they have no idea just how magical. The Bliss children themselves have an inkling, although Rose, the responsible one, would love to know more. When their parents go away, the children promise not to touch the magic Cookery Book (which has been handed down from generation to generation), but it's oh-so-difficult to resist. Throw in the arrival of a long-lost relative and watch the mayhem ensue. Littlewood has written an entertaining family caper; the dynamics between the siblings are amusing, as they unite in the face of the chaos caused by the enchanted recipes, everything from Love Muffins to Cookies of Truth. Although the fiasco is fairly predictable, readers will likely enjoy the fun to be had in sorting out all the trouble. With the ending left wide-open for a sequel, there could very well be more bliss to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)