At the Bliss family bakery, you can get cookies to help you sleep, love muffins or even truth cookies. You see, there’s a little bit of magic infused in each recipe and indeed, there’s magic in Kathryn Littlewood’s debut novel, Bliss.
Bliss
Calamity Falls seems to operate perfectly and some might say it’s the presence of the bakery that is the cause. The Bliss family has been in the baking business for a very long time, using enchanted recipes from the Cookery Booke, a family heirloom. The Bliss parents must leave town to deal with a flu outbreak in a neighboring city. The four children – Ty, Sage, Rose, and Leigh are left under the supervision of an elderly neighbor. Rose feels special because she’s been entrusted with the key to the Cookery Booke. Not much can go wrong in the short time the parents are gone right?
Sometimes books with missing parents are a treat because it works as a decent literary device for the child to explore independence. When Rose gets her first taste of independence, there is a certain thrill as she makes her first magical recipe and her first mistakes. We see Rose go against her better judgement -but then learn from the consequences. The reader will want everything to work out for Rose and her charming family as they read through Bliss.
Kathryn Littlewood has written a charming debut about a tight knit family, delicious food and some culinary magic that has me starved for the next installment of the Bliss family’s adventures.
Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.
Other reviews of Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood:
Book Aunt
Booklady’s Book Notes
It was actually really agonizing for me to watch Rose make her mistakes even as I could predict they were coming. I just wanted to step in and shake her and kick out their awful relative.
Hahahha, see I am laid back about that kind of thing, for me I get more agonized over YA seeing the characters make awful relationship choices.
This sounds very cute – and as an amateur baker, I have to say I’m intrigued. Another plus? I love the cover art. I think I’ll have to check this out.
The cover art IS fantastic. It just has that magical middle grade feel, ya know?
A middle grade about siblings and magic and baked goods? 100% YES. I can’t wait to read this one!
OMG Amy you are going to love Bliss. I am almost 100% on that.
Missing parents is usually a big “Ugh” for me, but then a bakery is usually a “Grab this now!” so I would be torn on that alone – but this sounds like a really interesting one. I think I’ll keep my eye out for it.
-Jac @ For Love and Books
OOOO a fence dweller.
You should at least borrow this one from the library.
I am definitely intrigued by this one! Love the cover for it! So cute. Definitely going to have to get it since I LOVE magic and food. Seems like the perfect combo.
What a beautiful cover! Thanks for reviewing this book, I might not have heard about it otherwise. I placed a request at the library.
This looks so cute! Thanks for doing the review and bringing it to my attention :]
Food and magic go so well together. This book sounds cute.