Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Lowe, Natasha. The Power of Poppy Pendle.


Lowe, Natasha.  The Power of Poppy Pendle.         Simon & Schuster/           272p      $15.99  978-1-4424-4679-3            2012    ms          E-BN       Supernatural                      

Poppy Pendle was born in a bakery.  She loves to bake and is really talented at it.  She also has inherited the powers of a witch, but she hates magic and wants to be a baker.  Her parents are excited for her to be a witch, but Poppy hates everything about magic and her magic school.  She runs away and stays for a week at the bakery where she was born, although she does not know the story of her birth.  She is completely happy, but unfortunately, she is found.  To make matters worse at home, the oven has been removed, and she is being kept a virtual prisoner.  Poppy uses a curse she learned at school to turn her parents into stone.  Poppy hides in a deserted, broken-down cottage.  She turns wild and keeps zapping things and people to stone.  Through love and the memory of great baked items, Poppy is brought back to reality.  Eventually all ends well, a testament to the power of love and food.

This story is charming.  Readers will empathize with Poppy
, who is initially not allowed to follow her passion.  The story concludes with tips for bakers and several of her recipes.

Middle
-school girls will gobble up this story, which is suitable for grades 4-8.
Fantasy-Fiction, Magic-Fiction                                                                                                                 --Joan Theal

 

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