It all starts when Kelly finds an old encyclopedia while she’s cleaning out her attic. Except it’s not an encyclopedia—it’s got handwritten recipes pasted over the pages of the printed book. Kelly loves to cook, and she enlists her two best friends to be part of a cooking club in her family’s kitchen. But when the trio decides to mix up recipes from the book, their concoctions lead to consequences both good and bad.Cooking always has just a little bit of mystery, and Cindy Callaghan’s Just Add Magic ramps that mystery up a notch. The girls speculate on who wrote the recipes and how it got in Kelly’s attic, and they soon realize that when they use a magic recipe to cause an action, there’s an equal reaction in the opposite direction. They have to discover how to stop the process before it gets out of hand. The question is how are they going to do that?While I felt as though there were a few loose ends that needed resolution at the end of the book, overall I thought it was fun to read. Girls aged 9 to 12 who have an interest in cooking should especially enjoy it. There are great recipes at the back of the book for book clubs (or anyone) to try, and it doesn’t seem as though these dishes will cause trouble at all. Just Add Magic was a delightful debut by Cindy Callaghan. Kelly Quinn was a sweet and likable main character and reading about her adventures was a lot of fun.When Kelly discovers an old recipe book in her attic she's beyond excited. It's Kelly's dream to grow up and be a famous chef. I loved reading about all the different recipes Kelly made and most of them sounded delicious. It definitely made me in the mood to bake! But when Kelly and her friends start cooking things out of the secret recipe book they find mysterious events start occurring. For one, Kelly's mischievous brother stops talking after he eats some of the Keep 'Em Quiet Cobbler and the Hexberry Tart brings pain to Kelly's enemy, Charlotte...Just Add Magic was an adorable middle grade novel with a twist of mystery and excitement. Kelly was dealing with a lot of things normal seventh graders do, like mean girls and boys. But on top of this Kelly has to deal with the freaky outcomes of her new recipes.I loved Kelly's two best friends, Hannah and Darbie. They were both really sweet and understood Kelly better than anyone. All of the characters in this novel were unique and added a little something to the story. Kelly also had a really nice family who supported her cooking endeavors throughout the story. I also love how there are some recipes included in the back of the book. I can't wait to try them out!The mystery angle of this book was great and always kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next and how everything would turn out for Kelly and her friends.Overall, I definitely recommend Just Add Magic, it will attract a variety of middle school readers who will love experiencing Kelly's adventures and I think older readers will enjoy it as well. I can't wait to see what's next for Cindy!Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
What do You think about Just Add Magic (2010)?
I thought it was a really good book and it was very interesting.
—richardrab
Nice book about cooking and friendship. I give it 4/5 stars.
—Maggie
