A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood: Book Review

**SPOILERS FOR THE 1ST IN THE SERIES, BLISS**

Rosemary Bliss feels incredibly guilty; she lost her family’s magical cookbook to her evil Aunt Lily and now everything in their hometown of Calamity Falls just feels drab. To make matters worse, Aunt Lily is everywhere Rose turns–on the TV, on the radio, and now on the grocery store shelves with Lily’s Magic Ingredient. Something has to be done.

Rose and her older brother Ty sneak onto the set of Lily’s TV show, where Rose challenges Lily to a bake-off. Basically, whoever wins the prestigious Gala des Gâteaux Grands in Paris gets to keep the magical Bliss Family Cookery Booke. With an assortment of Bliss family members, talking animals, and magic ingredients, Rose flies off to Paris to do her best in the world-class competition.

I still love this series! I hate to cook, but I have a sweet tooth that won’t quit, so baking is right up my alley. The Bliss family are all so quirky and endearing that I just have to love them. Earnest Rose who feels more responsibility for everything than she should; charming Ty, trying to win over all the ladies; funny Sage with his microphone hoping to mine his conversations for hstandup comedy gold; and little bewitched Leigh, spouting off Lily’s praises at every turn. They’re funny and adorable and so loyal to each other. I just love them.

The other characters are great too. Balthazar Bliss, a many-times-great grandfather, is roped in to help and he’s cranky and funny. His talking cat, Gus, is delightfully sarcastic but comes through when he’s needed. A talking mouse, Jacques, finds himself involved as well and discovers that his bravery is much bigger than his tiny body. They all add to the fun of this magical little book.

The Blisses need magical ingredients if they’re to have any hope of beating Aunt Lily, so they set off to search through some of Paris’s most well-known landmarks. The Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the catacombs… I enjoyed reading about The City of Light through young Rose’s eyes. And meeting another great cast of characters. What is the secret behind Mona Lisa’s smile? What do Notre Dame’s gargoyle’s get up to at midnight? You’ll know after reading this.

For all the light-heartedness, I like that there is a message hidden within these pages. Rose learns a lot about self-confidence and the value of family as she competes and I think a lot of girls will learn something right along with her.

This series is funny and magical and I highly recommend it. Middle grade girls should definitely enjoy it, but I think interested boys would find it entertaining as well.

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy for review.

Read an excerpt.

Read my review of BLISS, the first in the series.

Find author Kathryn Littlewood on her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Buy A Dash of Magic at

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.