Ansley's Big Bake Off

March 15, 2020
Ansley discovers herself through gymnastics and baking. This Christian middle-grade novel is a syrupy sweet addition to the publisher's FaithGirlz line. A spinoff of the Lena in the Spotlight series, this book centers on Lena's younger sister Ansley, the second of four in a tightknit black family. The girls' mother died unexpectedly just weeks ago, leaving them in mourning just before they start at the Roland Lake Christian Academy, just days after moving to a new town. Despite their grief, the girls are bubbly and optimistic as they anticipate starting their new life, making new friends, and signing up for gymnastics. Such an adjustment is tough, but it's made even tougher by Ansley's instant rivalry with fellow classmate Taylor Lang. Even as Ansley discovers a love of baking, she obsesses over ways to win Taylor over, trying to treat the white girl as Jesus might. Further conflict arises when Ansley must decide if she wants to perform gymnastics, compete in a bake-off, or sign up for both at the upcoming town fair. This book is fairly breezy considering the variety of themes it tackles. It can be read as a stand-alone but will likely be best enjoyed by established fans. Though readers learn of their mother's passing early on, that trauma is barely felt, with the antagonism between Ansley and Taylor taking up the bulk of the plot. Slight but with some appeal to series fans. (Fiction. 8-12)

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March 27, 2020

Gr 3-6-Ansley's family has just moved to a new house, and she and her three sisters are starting a new school. Ansley is nervous about making new friends, but many of the girls she meets at school and church are kind and welcoming. She gets off on the wrong foot with one, Taylor, who seems hostile and competitive-especially when it comes to baking, one of Ansley's favorite hobbies. Ansley turns to her Christian faith and her supportive family for advice on how to deal with Taylor, but it isn't until both girls enter the town baking competition that she comes to understand what's behind Taylor's behavior. This companion to the "Lena in the Spotlight" series centers a close-knit African American family. Ansley is sometimes very mature, particularly in discussing and expressing her faith. At other times young she is for her age, drawn to unicorns and sparkly things. The frequent prayers and references to scripture verses make this a good fit for preteens seeking inspirational fiction in a modern setting. Faith, family relationships, and friendship drama take center stage. VERDICT A good fit for libraries where juvenile inspirational fiction circulates well.-Misti Tidman, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library, OH

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