Review: - Bake Sale by Sara Varon

When I was sent this book by First Second Publishers, I was extremely excited. Not only is it a graphic novel, it’s a graphic novel about a cupcake, which has recipes for cupcakes in it! Amazing. Here’s a synopsis:

“Cupcake’s life is pretty good. He’s got his bakery, and his band, and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He’s sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home.”

Although this book is aimed at an age group younger than myself, I did thoroughly enjoy myself while reading it. It was a very quick read, and the story was very simple and refreshing. Cupcake is the central character; a little pink cake with a cherry on top, he owns his own bakery and aspires to be a great baker like his hero, Turkish Delight, who is, as the name implies, a big piece of Turkish delight with legs. When his best friend Eggplant tells Cupcake of his plans to go to Turkey for his Aunt’s book release party, and divulges furthermore that his Aunt’s best friend and partner is none other than Turkish Delight herself, Cupcake becomes determined to go with him and begins to devise new recipes to make extra money.

Really, Bake Sale is a very sweet story about the value of friendship and the importance of supporting each other, masquerading as a story about cakes. It’s a brilliant ploy, and if I’m honest, it was the fact that it was a graphic novel about cakes which first attracted me to it, and quite rightly so. Varon’s style of drawing is gorgeously simple – big, bold outlines and bright colours – and child –friendly without being at all childish. The book itself is beautifully put together, with gorgeously illustrated step by step recipes, and my personal favourite page, the recipe for sugared flowers framed by creeping flower –covered vines. At the end of the book, Cupcake realises that more important than meeting his hero or getting to travel the world are his friends, and especially his friendship with Eggplant. Any friend who’ll stand by you through an embarrassing incident of wrapper – wrinkling at the Turkish baths is definintely worth having!

Sara Varon’s first novel Robot Dreams is also about the importance of relationships, and I think I’ll have to go and seek it out. When writing for children, a lot of authors fall into the trap of over-simplifying, and therefore patronising the child. Varon doesn’t do this – she treats her subject matter with beautiful sensitivity, and I love how understanding Cupcake and Eggplant are of each other. Bake Sale did a really good job of exploring what a great friendship is, and it’ll go into my stockpile (yes, I am stockpiling awesome children’s books for future kids/nieces and nephews.. I’m the eldest of 7, so hopefully somebody will have some kids!), and for now, I will be handing it on to my younger brother! I would recommend it for anybody who’s interested in graphic novels or children’s books, or both!

Thanks to the publishers, who very kindly allowed me to read and enjoy this novel!

Bake Sale is out September 2011.

(from First Second promotional material)

White Boots and Dancing Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

For a while, I've wondered why it is that Noel Streatfeild writes so much about 'shoes', and about children in the showbusiness and entertainment worlds, and then I discovered that she was an actress herself, before becoming a writer. For me, the worlds conjured up by her books were always hugely vivid, and on re-reading them, I was not disappointed. As an adult (supposedly, anyway!) reading Streatfeild's work is as delicious and comforting as it was when I was eight, and I think that this is a product of her consistency and attention to detail, coupled with her ability to create characters who resonate with her readers.

My copy of 'White Boots' is absolutely ancient! It may well have belonged to my mother in her youth, and I certainly remember first having this copy read to me as a bedtime story, many years ago. In comparison, the copy of 'Dancing Shoes that I have is one of the re-released ones, with the very girly pink covers, which makes it look like an Angelina Ballerina book! Subject-wise, though, the books are very similar, probably unsurprisingly, given their respective publication dates of 1951 and 1957.

'White Boots' is about Hilary Johnson, a girl from a poor family, whose doctor prescribes that she go skating as a way to build up her strength after a long illness. At the rink, she meets Lalla Moore, a girl whose father was a skating world champion, and since his death, her aunt has convinced her, and everyone around her, that she will follow in his footsteps. The book follows the story of their friendship, and not only the differences between being rich and poor, but the advantages money can bring as well as highlighting the emptiness it can cause in the life of an only child.

'Dancing Shoes' also highlights social inequality, as well as sharing the sort of morals present in lots of Streatfeild's books; that people who are nice usually get good things happening to them. It has similarites to 'Ballet Shoes', which is a book I love!

It is about orphaned Rachel Lennox, and her adopted sister Hilary. After their mother's death, they are brought to live with their aunt and uncle, and spoiled cousin, Dulcie. Simply put, Dulcie is the star of her mother's dancing school, and really doesn't like it when Hilary turns out to be as good as her. Again, this is basically the story of the relationship between Rachel and Hilary, and about people getting their just deserts.

Streatfeild has a way of describing things exactly as you can imagine a child of the time might, and this, as well as the wish-fulfillment quality of her storylines, where her characters always end up getting the thing they have worked and hoped for, is what makes me love her books. I could keep reading them forever, but I feel that I need to stretch my brain a bit after three of her books in a row, so I'll take a break for now, but there's a pile of her books in the corner which will be calling out to me before long!!

Rating: both *****

A New (and slightly obscure) Challenge

So yesterday I was up in London with my fiance, and we found an amazing Oxfam bookshop, in which I was rummaging, when I came across a copy of one of my absolute favourite books growing up, 'The Growing Summer', by Noel Streafeild. Then I started thinking about how much I adored her books as a child, and how great it would be to reread them, and on doing a bit of digging I discovered that she's written a huge amount more than I had previously realised. Given my current addiction to challenges, I thought that I'd set myself a little bit of a trial and see how many I could read in 2011. (I think that this will include rereads, as it's been years since I read any really) I think that most people would know her primarily as the author of Ballet Shoes, but would be interested to hear if anybody else loved her books as a child!

Just as an aside, here is an awesome poem from 'The Growing Summer':

The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo
Edward Lear 1812-1888

On the Coast of Coromandel, Where the early pumpkins grow, In the middle of the woods Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Two old chairs, and half a candle, One old jug without a handle, These were all his worldly goods: In the middle of the woods, These were all the worldly goods Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Once, among the Bong-trees walking Where the early pumpkins grow, To a little heap of stones Came the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. There he heard a Lady talking, To some milk-white Hens of Dorking, "'Tis the Lady Jingly Jones! On that little heap of stones Sits the Lady Jingly Jones!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "Lady Jingly! Lady Jingly! Sitting where the pumpkins grow, Will you come and be my wife?" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "I am tired of living singly, On this coast so wild and shingly, I'm a-weary of my life; If you'll come and be my wife, Quite serene would be my life!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "On this Coast of Coromandel, Shrimps and watercresses grow, Prawns are plentiful and cheap," Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "You shall have my chairs and candle, And my jug without a handle! - Gaze upon the rolling deep (Fish is plentiful and cheap) - As the sea, my love is deep!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Lady Jingly answered sadly, And her tears began to flow, "Your proposal comes too late, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! I would be your wife most gladly!" (Here she twirled her fingers madly) "But in England I've a mate! Yes! you've asked me far too late, For in England I've a mate, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!

"Mr Jones - (his name is Handel - Handel Jones, Esquire, & Co.) Dorking fowls delights to send, Mr Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Keep, oh! keep your chairs and candle, And your jug without a handle, I can merely be your friend! - Should my Jones more Dorking send, I will give you three, my friend! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! "Though you've such a tiny body, And your head so large doth grow, Though your hat may blow away, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Though you're such a Boddy Doddy - Yet I wish that I could modi- fy the words I needs must say! Will you please to go away? That is all I have to say - Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!" Down the slippery slopes of Myrtle, Where the early pumpkins grow, To the calm and silent sea Fled the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. There beyond the Bay of Gurtle, Lay a large and lively Turtle; "You're the Cove," he said, "for me; On your back beyond the sea, Turtle, you shall carry me!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Through the silent-roaring ocean Did the Turtle swiftly go; Holding fast upon his shell Rode the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, With a sad primaeval motion Towards the sunset isles of Boshen Still the Turtle bore him well, Holding fast upon his shell. "Lady Jingly Jones, farewell!" Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. From the Coast of Coromandel Did that Lady never go; On that heap of stones she mourns For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. On that Coast of Coromandel, In his jug without a handle, Still she weeps, and daily moans; On that little heap of stones To her Dorking Hens she moans For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

The list of her books is here, and if anybody else wants to join in, feel free! :-)