Review: A Batch Made in Heaven

A Batch Made in Heaven
By Suzanne Nelson
Scholastic Inc., 2021. Fiction. 258 pgs.

When 7th grader Mina Kapur gets the intern spot at the wildly successful bakery in her town, she couldn't be more excited. Mina wants to be a baker herself someday, and she can't wait to help make the delicious cookies. But when the internship doesn't go according to plan and the owner's cute but moody son, Flynn, seems to be hiding secrets, Mina won't rest until she fixes everything.

This was an unexpected treat to read, pun intended. I had pretty low expectations for a food themed romance aimed at 8-12 year old's, but it was so cute and charming! I may have even squealed on a few occasions, which brought eye rolls and laughter from my teenage sons. The romance aspect was very age appropriate and was so reminiscent of my own childhood crushes. I loved the believability of Mina's struggles to juggle school, family obligations, friends, her internship, and blossoming feelings toward a boy whose actions she doesn't always like or understand. Although I'd probably classify this as a juvenile romance, it was also a sweet story of family dynamics, the intricacies and occasional stresses of friendship, and working towards ones dreams and goals.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog