25 February 2025 by Algonquin Young Readers
E ARC Provided by Netgalley
Emily and her Aunt Gina run the family's magical bakery, Om Nom, while Emily's mother travels the world teaching others about what they do. For example, when a friend comes in to the shop after a harrowing test, Emily can determine that she needs a baked goods that makes her feel relieved. She and her aunt have a smoothly running life, and spend a lot of quality time together baking and having fun, seeing the mother at least once a month for a big family dinner. Emily has a soccer playing friend, Dae, who is very exuberant. One thing that Emily can't make is marshmallows, but her aunt comforts her and says that everyone has some issues that don't work out. When the school plans a Boo-Ganza bake sale for Halloween, with the winning homeroom getting a pizza party, Emily and Aunt Gina make bigs plans. Sadly, Aunt Gina dies suddenly in a car accident. Dae's fathers help Emily out until her mother, who is also devastated, makes it home. There's a wake, and Emily feels awful. This awful feeling won't go away, but she goes back to school. Her mother doesn't understand the routine, which makes things worse, since Emily forgets to pick up Dae and bring her lunch. She tells Dae that what she really wants to do is to bake, but her aunt always told her to never bake when she is feeling bad, since the magic will go awry. Sure enough, Emily makes a disastrous crumble, but even though it's horrible, people can't stop eating it. Emily and her mother are still constantly awash in tears, and the mother is having a hard time keeping up with the business. Emily struggles in school, especially when her classmates ask her all kinds of questions about her aunt's death. For the bake sale, Emily makes a crumble that ends up making a lot of people sick, and finally tells her mother what she has been doing. The two make soup, which is not affected by their magic, to take to her classmates by way of apology. Things slowly start to improve, with the mother deciding to open a baking school in the shop, and when a friend's turtle dies, he comes to Emily, and she feels ready to bake something to make him feel better.
Emily and her Aunt Gina run the family's magical bakery, Om Nom, while Emily's mother travels the world teaching others about what they do. For example, when a friend comes in to the shop after a harrowing test, Emily can determine that she needs a baked goods that makes her feel relieved. She and her aunt have a smoothly running life, and spend a lot of quality time together baking and having fun, seeing the mother at least once a month for a big family dinner. Emily has a soccer playing friend, Dae, who is very exuberant. One thing that Emily can't make is marshmallows, but her aunt comforts her and says that everyone has some issues that don't work out. When the school plans a Boo-Ganza bake sale for Halloween, with the winning homeroom getting a pizza party, Emily and Aunt Gina make bigs plans. Sadly, Aunt Gina dies suddenly in a car accident. Dae's fathers help Emily out until her mother, who is also devastated, makes it home. There's a wake, and Emily feels awful. This awful feeling won't go away, but she goes back to school. Her mother doesn't understand the routine, which makes things worse, since Emily forgets to pick up Dae and bring her lunch. She tells Dae that what she really wants to do is to bake, but her aunt always told her to never bake when she is feeling bad, since the magic will go awry. Sure enough, Emily makes a disastrous crumble, but even though it's horrible, people can't stop eating it. Emily and her mother are still constantly awash in tears, and the mother is having a hard time keeping up with the business. Emily struggles in school, especially when her classmates ask her all kinds of questions about her aunt's death. For the bake sale, Emily makes a crumble that ends up making a lot of people sick, and finally tells her mother what she has been doing. The two make soup, which is not affected by their magic, to take to her classmates by way of apology. Things slowly start to improve, with the mother deciding to open a baking school in the shop, and when a friend's turtle dies, he comes to Emily, and she feels ready to bake something to make him feel better.
Strengths: Om Nom is such a fun concept for a magical bakery, like Littlewood's Bliss, Lloyd's The Key to Extraordinary, LaRocca's Midsummer's Mayhem, or Meriano's Love. Sugar. Magic. series.
Weaknesses: I'm a little confused about what the allegorical meaning behind the crumble is and need to find someone with whom to discuss this. Also, I knew that the aunt was going to die and was prepared, but sensitive young readers who see the aunt's totalled van might not be expecting this level of sadness, since the book starts out so happily.
What I really think: This is a choice of a graphic novel for readers who were able to handle the grief in Santat's The Aquanaut or Thummler's Sheets.
Weaknesses: I'm a little confused about what the allegorical meaning behind the crumble is and need to find someone with whom to discuss this. Also, I knew that the aunt was going to die and was prepared, but sensitive young readers who see the aunt's totalled van might not be expecting this level of sadness, since the book starts out so happily.
What I really think: This is a choice of a graphic novel for readers who were able to handle the grief in Santat's The Aquanaut or Thummler's Sheets.
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