The Power of Poppy Pendle (Poppy Pendle #1)

Lowe's energetic first novel is led by 10-year-old Poppy, who was born in the Patisserie Marie Claire bakery in the town of Potts Bottom. While Poppy has inherited the gift of magic from her highly respected Great-Granny Mabel, she wants nothing to do with it. Baking makes Poppy happy, and after three years at Ruthersfield, a magic school her parents force her to attend, she is fed up. Poppy runs away to the Patisserie, where sympathetic Marie Claire takes her in, but when Poppy's parents drag her home, she snaps and turns them to stone with the "Stop It Now Spell." It's up to Marie Claire and Poppy's friend Charlie to bring Poppy back from the "dark side." Lowe makes the story's arc (and message) clear early on: the Ruthersfield motto translates to "Follow your passion," and Poppy's interest in another witch who crossed to the dark side presages her own transformation. Readers will easily empathize with Poppy and recognize the loneliness and anger that accompany being misunderstood. Several recipes for Poppy's desserts are included. Ages 8-12. Agent: Ann Tobias, A Literary Agency for Children's Books. (Sept.)

Gr 4-6--To her parents' great mortification, Poppy is unexpectedly born in a French bakery; she couldn't possibly have had a less auspicious birth. As she grows, though, it becomes obvious that she has the rare gift of magic, and her parents couldn't be more pleased. They purchase a state-of-the-art wand and broom and enter her in the Ruthersfield Academy for Witches. While Poppy is an excellent witch, all she really wants to do is bake. When she announces to her parents that she hates magic and just wants to make treats, her parents go to the extreme to stop her, pushing her into the blackest of magic. In this sweet story about true friendship, Poppy is a likable main character. While the accompanying cast is a little flat and an evil-witch story line seems to be dropped altogether, children will like dark-side Poppy and the satisfying ending. Several recipes are included. Recommended this one to fans of Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch (Viking, 1989).--Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ