The Baker and the Bard

February 1, 2024
Grades 6-8 Juniper, an apprentice at Mira's Bakery, and Hadley, a Blue Heron Inn performer, enjoy life in the City of Larkspur. But that all changes when a customer requires a pastry order by Saturday. To complete the recipe, Juniper and Hadley must retrieve an essential ingredient: the glowing oyster mushrooms. As they reach the City of Gryfice, they overhear the locals chatting about a mysterious creature eating their crops. Itching for an adventure, Hadley persuades Juniper to help them stop the ravenous creature. Full of bright and colorful artwork, this gentle D&D-like fantasy is a great read for those looking for a light story or dipping their toes into this genre for the first time. Haught cleverly touches on urban development, its environmental impact, and the importance of preserving the local ecosystem, and the budding romance between Juniper and Hadley is a sweet addition. This pleasant food-focused quest resolves happily, and readers hungry to try the mushroom tarts they ultimately make will appreciate the recipe included in the back matter.

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December 11, 2023
Juniper and her nonbinary best friend Hadley are chasing their dreams in the quiet town of Larkspur; Juniper is an aspiring baker apprenticing at a local pâtissier where Hadley, a bard, enchants patrons with their flute. When the bakery receives an unusually large order with a life-changing price tag, the duo set off on their first-ever journey beyond Larkspur and into neighboring towns seeking the rare ingredient needed to complete the order. What starts off as a simple grocery run turns into a high-stakes adventure when they find a nearby town besieged by mysterious, crop-ravaging monsters—and gentle fey caterpillars desperate for a meal following an expanding city’s new farm fields’ encroachment upon their natural habitat. Haught’s debut graphic novel is an empathetic tale of friendship, trust, and learning to balance expansion with preserving and living alongside nature. Soft, loosely lined illustrations and muted tones add warmth and gentility to this quintessential, cozy queer fantasy tale that will appeal to fans of The Tea Dragon Society and The Sprite and the Gardener. Characters are portrayed as having fanciful skin tones and animalian features. Ages 12–up.

March 1, 2024

Gr 7 Up-Juniper and Hadley live in the charming fantasy world of Larkspur where they work at Mira's Bakery. When a wealthy stranger comes into the shop and requests an unusual pastry, Mira assures her they will fulfill the order, even though she knows they lack the proper ingredients. Juniper and Hadley convince their boss to let them go to the forest in search of the necessary glowing oyster mushrooms. On their adventure, they learn that the farmers in the city of Gryfice have lost crops due to a mysterious creature emerging from the trees each night. The friends are eager to investigate, and while searching for the culprit, they run into the mystical fey. Thistle, the leader, admits that her giant caterpillar friends need silvergrass to survive. Juniper, Hadley, and the feys must work together to help solve their problems and restore order to the town. This fairy tale-like story is charming and serene. The beautiful drawings depict a magical world whose inhabitants are friendly and open with simple needs and desires. The themes of acceptance and togetherness prevail as the author successfully weaves these threads subtly through the narrative. The conversation about gender and Hadley's admission that they are nonbinary is a bit forced, without a natural transition into the dialogue. Still, it's an important part of the characters' relationships and creates an inclusive literary environment. VERDICT A whimsical, sweet fantasy that is sure to delight teens looking for a magical, cozy world and nonbinary representation.-Karin Greenberg

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