A dash of trouble

Anna Meriano

Book - 2018

Wanting to be a part of her family's Dia de los Muertos preparations, Leonora sneaks out of school to discover her mother, aunt, and older sisters have been keeping a secret.

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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Published
New York, NY : Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers [2018]
Language
English
Main Author
Anna Meriano (author)
Other Authors
Mirelle Ortega (illustrator)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
310 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780062498465
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Leonora Logroño is the fifth daughter in a family of brujas, or witches, but she doesn't know it yet. At 11, she's feeling frustrated and left out when her family is preparing for Día de los Muertos, and she's the only one excluded. After some snooping, she finds out she has the ability to add magic to cooking, and when her best friend is having trouble with her neighbor (read: boy crush), she sticks her magical nose in and creates a big mess. There's lot of Spanish in the narrative, and Meriano cleverly accommodates readers unfamiliar with Spanish by making Leonora less fluent herself since she so often misunderstands her Spanish-speaking family members, she regularly asks for clarification. There are also delicious recipes sprinkled in, and cute designs accompanying the beginning of each chapter. The power of friendship and family bonds, as well as how good intentions can end badly, are strong themes that will resonate with middle-grade readers. Leo is a funny, lovable protagonist, and readers will feel right at home in this cozy series starter.--Pino, Kristina Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this effervescent kickoff to the Love Sugar Magic series, Leonora "Leo" Logroño is tired of being the baby of the family: her four older sisters all speak Spanish and get to help out at the family bakery, especially as they prepare for Diá de los Muertos. Then Leo discovers that her mother and sisters are actually brujas, able to bake magic spells into their pastries. "Our power comes from the magic of sweetness," explains one sister. "Sweetness from love and sweetness from sugar." Leo will be initiated at age 15, but she can't wait to try her hand at magic, resulting in a love spell that goes horribly wrong. Meriano's first novel is steeped in Mexican culture, family lore, and delicious baked goods. Readers who don't speak Spanish will share in Leo's confusion (the magical recipes are all written in Spanish), and those who do will enjoy being in on the family's secrets. A warmhearted read that will satisfy readers and leave them eager for a second helping. Art not seen by PW. A Cake Literary property. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Amor y Azúcar Panadería (Love and Sugar Bakery) is bustling on the eve of Dia de los Muertos, and all Leonora Logroño wants to do is help. But as the youngest of five sisters, Leo is repeatedly told she is too young to participate in the family business. Leo resorts to sneaking, and discovers that Mama, Tia, and her sisters are brujas, and there is more to their baked goods than just sugar and flour. Anxious to explore her own potential abilities, Leo steals a book of magical recipes and begins experimenting, leading to various mishaps. Tradition is a prominent theme in this debut, but instead of leading to conflict, Meriano depicts a family that is open and accepting of change, while still honoring long-standing family customs. Leo, despite feeling left out, has very supportive older sisters who guide her misadventures, and ultimately, along with the elder women (even Abuela, whose ghost keeps an eye on the family), shape Leo's magical development. Spell recipes are included in the text entirely in Spanish, which Leo, as a nonspeaker, must decipher using a bilingual dictionary. Back matter includes additional nonmagical recipes for pan de muerto and amaranth bars that should keep readers busy until the next installment in the series. VERDICT A delectable debut with wide appeal, and a must-have for middle grade fiction collections.-Jessica Agudelo, New York Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Eleven-year-old Leonora Logroqo doesn't get to help in her family's bakery. Leo snoops and discovers all her female family members are brujas, or witches. Impatient Leo doesn't want to wait four years for her initiation, so she experiments on her own, with comical results. First-novelist Meriano creates a believable family whose members sprinkle love, affection, and natural domestic gripes as naturally as they mix Spanish and English. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

In the small town of Rose Hill, Texas, the Logroo family runs a truly magical bakery in Meriano's debut.Leo, short for Leonora, is the youngest of five sisters in a Mexican-American family. Leo feels left out as the older girls step up to help run the family bakery while she watches from the sidelines. Convinced that secrets are being kept from her, Leo skips school to do some reconnaissance and stumbles upon, first, the other women of the family participating in a mysterious ceremony and then, later, an old book titled Recetas de amor, azcar, y magia, or Recipes of Love, Sugar, and Magic. When eldest sister Isabel discovers Leo with the book, she confirms Leo's suspicions that something is being kept from her: the women of her family are brujas, or witches. Though Isabel warns her against it, Leo decides to pursue her magical training independently, guided by the enigmatic recipe book, and uses the recipes to help her friends out of sticky situations. When things inevitably misfire, Leo finds she is on her own to right her magical mistakes. In this weave of Mexican, Texan, and American cultures, readers are sure to find mirrors to their own experiences and windows onto others, all wrapped in a fantastical bow. Scrupulously avoiding tokenism, Meriano builds a wonderful contemporary world in small-town Texas, full of diverse characters, where magic feels right at home and muggles will feel equally welcome.A series opener that's proof that windows and mirrors can be magical ingredients. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.