Review Detail

What I liked:
In A Dash of Magic, the Bliss family is trying to get their magic Cookery Booke back, which was so fiendishly stolen by distant cousin Lily LeFay. Lily has been using the book’s recipes to make herself the most popular television chef. Even worse, she has designs on perhaps even the presidency, using her secret ingredient to make everyone obsessed with her. dun Dun DUN. It is the stuff of middle grade nightmares.

In order to get the booke back, Lily and Rose make a wager: whoever wins a fancy French baking competition will get to keep the book. Now, don’t think too hard about how a twelve year old was eligible for this baking competition, because you might hurt your brain. Here, have some Suspension of Disbelief Sorbet. See, it’s TOTALLY fine.

The fun part, though, is that the gang adds some new characters, the grandpa from Mexico and two talking animals. The grandpa from Mexico does answer why Ty keeps using Spanish, but I still don’t find that trait particularly adorable or necessary. However, I love the talking animals just as much now as when I was a middle grader. Gus the cat is delightfully cat-like and reminds me so much of Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Then there’s Jacques the mouse, who is probably a friend of the rat in Ratatouille. They are my favorites.

What Left Me Wanting More:
A Dash of Magic is adorable and funny. Just remember to have that sorbet, and it’s great. However, I was VERY displeased with the magic ingredient for their flaky dessert, which required obtaining the blush of a queen. Reason? “Queens, yes. They do tend toward flakiness.” EXCUSE ME. Some do, I’m sure, but plenty likely do not. This struck me as sexist and altogether not funny. Why not go for someone’s dandruff? Now that’s flaky, and super gross to put in food, so I’m sure kids would love it.

The Final Verdict:
Sure to delight anyone who enjoyed Bliss!