#skillsets

'I mean I can have a panic attack on command but I don't think that's what they would want in a future employee'

B+ : cute, cute, cute. I want to send this book to all my little cousins.

14-year-old Mona is a bread wizard, which is not nearly as interesting as it sounds. It does make her a great fit for her Aunt Tabitha’s bakery, where she spends her time making gingerbread men dance. But when a girl her age is found dead in the bakery, she and 10-year-old street kid Spindle get mixed up the politics of her city, and Mona finds herself on the path to heroism.

First of all, what a title - that was the whole reason I picked this book up. Kingfisher keeps that wonderful whimsical tone up throughout. Carnivorous sourdough starters named Bob, gingerbread golems, sneaking in places through the toilets. It’s also not afraid to get dark, though, which means it fits in a bit of an awkward place age-wise, somewhere between middle grade and Y.A.

My favourite thing about this story was that the kids in it felt like kids. Mona and Spindle are wonderful, active protagonists, but the narrative never forgets their age, and forces the reader to confront just how young they are, and how no adults are able to help. They cry and get bored and wish their parents were here, and the scenes that are meant to be frightening are genuinely frightening because you know how powerless they are.

This book is a lot about heroism, about children having to step up when adults aren’t able or aren’t willing to do what needs to be done. While some are actively evil, many of them are kind and simply ineffective. 

The whole second half of the book, where Mona has to defend her city because there is no one left to do it - excellent. I love a siege. 

Also, the actual baking passages - excellent. I love it when a book doesn’t shy away from specific skillsets.

Skill matters, but how you talk to yourself matters more.

Be kind to your mind and do one thing today that your future self will thank you for.