Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Young cook battles wicked aunt in fun, Paris-set sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The town of Calamity Falls has lost all its magic since villainous Aunt Lily bamboozled the bakers' children and ran off with their book of magic recipes (as described in Bliss). Now Aunt Lily is a cooking celebrity with a slavish following, destined to grow larger as Lily's Secret Ingredient appears on supermarket shelves. Twelve-year-old Rosemary Bliss, who blames herself for the whole disaster, is determined to get the book back and restore harmony, so she sneaks into Lily's studio audience and challenges her to a duel -- at an upcoming, world-televised pastry competition in Paris -- with the book as prize. In order to hold her own against Lily, who cheats at everything, Rose needs more than A DASH OF MAGIC, as she has to enlist the aid not only of her family members but a talking cat, a helpful mouse, a few gargoyles, and Parisian locals both living and dead.
Is It Any Good?
Like its own famous Angel's Breath Food Cake, A Dash of Magic is sweet, frothy, insubstantial, and irresistible. The characters may be a bit one-note individually, but collectively they and the comical, fast-moving plot combine for a light, harmonious, amusing confection.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why magic is so popular in kids' books. What other books have you read in which magic plays a big part in the plot?
Do you watch cooking shows on TV? Do you think they're interesting or silly? Why?
Have you been to Paris, or would you like to go? Which of the popular spots that the Bliss kids check out would you like to visit?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Erin McGuire
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Cooking , Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date : February 12, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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