There’s no crying over spilled flour in this celebration of baking as a family activity that also allows mothers and daughters to connect as peers. The Muffin House was built for CC’s mother, Joy-Marie, who founded nearby Bakerstown, where specialty bakers each had their own shop. Roberts presents it not as an utopian cooperative, but an idyllic vision of rural self-sufficiency, one reliant on Joy-Marie’s generous nature. Because she idolized Joy-Marie (there’s no generational strife here), the collapse of Bakerstown made CC bitter enough to completely stop baking after her mother’s death. JJ’s enthusiastic embrace of her family history not only revives their baking tradition, but also brings much-needed healing to the community.

Baking is Messy and So is Life is structured as a parable, so the prophetic dreams that guide the Duright women are more in line with Roberts’s moral message than a sentient oven that sings and cajoles while baking everything perfectly. Still, what Roberts captures best is the bond that grows between mothers and daughters when they bake together, an environment that’s both instructive and equalizing, showing young readers how participating in shared activities helps them appreciate their parents beyond family roles. The mission of these gifted bakers isn’t profit, but providing comfort food to family, friends and anyone who needs a little love kneaded into the dough.

Takeaway: Love, baking, and a whimsical secret history bring mothers and daughters together in this charmer.

Great for fans of: Vanessa Curtis’s The Baking Life of Amelie Day, Diane Zahler’s Baker’s Magic, and Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk’s Cupcake Series.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A