I can't believe that I forgot to review this before! I'm an older reader, of course, but there's a soft spot in my heart for really fun, engaging children's fiction. Is it any wonder then that I wanted to read all about The Great Granny Cake Contest? I think not!

Pandora's grandmother is a witch and, well, she's a little bit of a mischievous one at that! For poor level-headed Pandora, that means a lot of cleaning up after her very lovable granny! In the course of this book, Granny manages to make a mess of a museum tour, attempts to make a cake without any magic, and creates a garden that isn't quite what Pandora's school mates were expecting. Every story is giggle worthy, full of heart, and wonderfully illustrated. I only wish that I still taught at a school, so that I could share them with my students.

I so enjoy these stories! Love any book with witches and off kilter magic! Middle grade school kids are going to enjoy these stories.

The Granny Trouble series is just delightful and "The Great Granny Cake Contest" is no exception. The stories revolve around Granny, her granddaughter, their friends, and their magical experiences. Any reader will be in for exciting times as Granny helps to extricate them from situations that will keep the reader unable to stop laughing.
It's a fun time for all!

Humorous look at a grandmother and her granddaughter through different scenarios using magic. It kept my kids laughing and wanting to read more.

What do you get when you combine a quiet little girl named Pandora, her disapproving parents, and her spicy, mischievous Granny who happens to be a witch? You get some seriously delicious shenanigans! In the book The Great Granny Cake Contest! by Tracey Corderoy, Pandora is a little girl who lives with her parents, Moonbeam (a witch) and Hugo (not magical in the slightest). Her mother Moonbeam is also a witch, but chooses not to engage in magic. Whenever Pandora goes to visit her magical grandmother, her life becomes a lot more lively! In this whimsical and charming book, readers go along with Pandora and her Granny on truly magical adventures! Middle elementary students will love all of the trouble that Granny whisks up with her magic wand, all while trying to keep her magic a secret!
To read about Pandora and her cheeky granny, check out the book The Great Granny Cake Contest! by Tracy Corderoy, with charming illustrations by Joe Berger.

High Spirited and Silly High Jinks

This book has great style, pacing and energy, and it seems like it would be very appealing to early independent readers.

The premise is simple, but engaging. Granny is a witch and a bit of a whimsical loose cannon with her magic and her love of silly things. Her granddaughter Pandora is the more sober of the two, (but still a spunky kid), and the two of them lark about having adventures. The book is really a collection of three short stories that run about 40 pages each. We get to cause trouble at a fancy manor house museum, create chaos on a cooking show, and wreak havoc with some giant carrots at the school garden show. All ends well and no harm done.

The book's text and illustrations work marvelously well together. The drawings are cheerful and expressive, (the book is heavily illustrated), and the text is placed nicely in and about the drawings, which is great for aiding a new reader trying to follow the action. Sometimes drawings in books like this can be too spare or abstract and don't help carry the story, but here we have crisp and clear line work that enhances enjoyment and understanding.

So, a clever and entertaining set of tales, and a nice find for an early reader. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Pandora's grandmother is a witch, and Pandora has powers that her parents do not want her to use. Of course, when she is in her grandmother's company, she still gets to ride on a broom, and the magic powers can be useful. This is especially true when her grandmother enters a cake baking contest with two of her witch friends. Her grandmother isn't going to cheat and use magic, but when Pandora finds out that her friends' grandchildren are helping, she decides to help as well. Pandora and her grandmother also get in trouble during the tour of a local mansion, and at the school gardening fair.
Strengths: The illustrations, and the way the text is set around them, are really brilliantly done. The story presupposes complete suspension of disbelief, and we are instantly sucked into Pandora's world. This is very reminiscent of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
Weaknesses: This is most suited for early readers, not for middle school. Drat.
What I really think: I am so tempted to buy this one for my 6th graders who love Ruth Chew. It's completely adorable, VERY British (fairy cakes), and reminded me of things I read when I was in elementary school. Maybe if there is an Accelerated Reader test for it!