Just a Pinch of Magic
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Just a Pinch of Magic, Alechia Dow's middle-grade debut, is as warm and sweet as a cinnamon bun, bursting with magic and sure to please the pickiest readers. Wini's family of enchanters runs a little bakery, but with the prices of magical ingredients skyrocketing, they're going under. Desperate to save her family's business, Wini takes a risk by casting a (sort of illegal) spell that would allow them to gather their own supply of their most needed magical ingredient: Love. But the spell doesn't work. And Wini soon discovers that it didn't just not work, it backfired. Badly. Now the whole town is in danger, and the Enchantment Agency is sniffing around for whoever cast the wayward spell. It's just been Kal and her dad for as long as she can remember. They've weathered everything together, including Kal's mental health struggles. But just as they're about to move to a new town for a fresh start, Kal's grandfather—who mysteriously vanished years ago—has suddenly reentered their lives with a desire to make amends. He joins them in opening their bookstore in the new town, but Kal can't help but wonder if he has anything to do with the whispers around her new home about wicked magic. And it's not just the whispers of the magical books in their shop. When Wini and Kal cross paths—both hoping for the chance to finally make a friend without worrying about their family histories following them—the girls bond over being fellow outcasts. Together they search for the solution to fixing the magic gone awry in their beloved town—and just maybe get their dads to go out on a date. Includes five recipes! Praise for Just a Pinch of Magic: "Just a Pinch of Magic provides more than a pinch of fun. This delightful middle-grade debut is full of friendship, adventure, magic—and recipes!" —Janae Marks, New York Times-bestselling author of On Air with Zoe Washington
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3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Winifred's family's bakery is in dire straits, and even her impressive baking magic isn't enough to bring it back - not when the whole town seems to blame her for a curse her absent mother brought about. Digging out an old volume of unfinished spells, she takes a big risk, only to see it all go wrong, even when she befriends a new arrival with magic of her own.
Review
Just a Pinch of Magic is engaging right from the start. It's built on some very familiar elements – recipes, two lonely pre-teens, a generally happy background – but it does the right things with them. While for the first half, it feels too light and easy – even for a ‘middle grade' book – it does get somewhat more tense in the latter parts of the story. The ending is far too easy for my taste, buy not entirely out of line with the age range.
The magic system is on the vague side – individuals have a propensity for a certain kind of magic – and there are some pretty big plot holes here. Both girls are powerful enchanters, but Kal's ‘type' is never resolved, and it seemed a little too clear for me that that topic was set aside for a possible sequel. I think the book would have been stronger as a truly self-contained story, but there is certainly room here for expansion.
The ending is somewhat disappointing in that it presumes a foundation of magical creatures that Dow never actually builds, so some of the resolution comes out of left field. That and some of the relationships are essentially just declared resolved without much basis. It makes the ending much weaker than the rest of the book, though it does retain the light tone of the start.
This felt to me like a younger book than the pre-teen audience it seems to shoot for, but it's a pleasant one nonetheless. A quick, light, positive read, with some nice recipes thrown in to boot. (I tried the hot chocolate one, and it's a little rich for my taste, but not bad.)
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
