Natasha Lowe knew as a child that she wanted to be either a writer, an adventurer, or to open a fancy teashop. So she did a little bit of everything, traveling from her native London to America where she ran The Tea House bed and breakfast and wowed guests with her grandmother’s shortbread recipe. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four children. She is the author of the Poppy Pendle series and Lucy Castor Finds Her Sparkle.
Since the day she was born, Cat has wanted nothing more than to be
a witch and study at the exclusive Ruthersfield Academy. Sadly, she
shows no signs of having been born with the gift, and, crushingly,
her mother, Poppy, is a talented witch who refuses to even discuss
magic. In this charming sequel to The Power of Poppy Pendle (2012),
Poppy has grown up and runs her own successful bakery. When a
run-in with a spider activates a recessive magic gene in
11-year-old Cat, she is given a copy of The Late Bloomer’s Guide to
Magic and tries to live by its advice—“don’t let fear stand in your
way”—as she fights with her mother to be allowed to attend the
academy, conquers her fear of spiders, and finds herself face to
face with a notoriously evil witch who has escaped prison. Fans of
the first novel will delight in this gentle, affirming fantasy,
which is as focused on Poppy and Cat’s relationship as it is on
Cat’s magical quest. Recipes from The Late Bloomer’s Guide are
included.
*December 22, 2014*
Lowe's simple plot of parent-child conflict unfolds in a
now-familiar wizarding world, tension arising more from emotions
than external thrills, despite that wicked witch. The appended
recipes include incantations and substitutions if readers are
unable to find pixie laughs or unicorn milk at the local grocery. A
sweet choice for readers who prefer their fantasy thoughtful
instead of action-packed.
*Kirkus Reviews*
Lowe’s charming addition to the world of Potts Bottom follows Cat’s
determined progress toward her goal, showing her failures and
triumphs in a realistic arc. The author’s treatment of the
mother-daughter relationship smoothly blends whimsical fantasy
elements with scenes that readers will recognize from their own
family squabbles. Cat’s adventures in courage give new treatment to
the familiar idea that parents want their children to avoid making
their own mistakes. To this, Lowe adds some truly laugh-out-loud
moments between Cat and her friend Peter. The book concludes with
“magical” recipes to bake at home. Stock both of Lowe’s novels at
your library: fans of Matilda or Alice Miranda will be happy to
meet another spunky girl.–Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library
Association, CT
*School Library Journal*
Fans of the first novel will delight in this gentle, affirming
fantasy, which is as focused on Poppy and Cat’s relationship as it
is on Cat’s magical quest.
*Booklist Online*
Lowe echoes the whimsy of J.K. Rowling and Anna Dale with vibrant
descriptions ("A burst of pink smoke covered the table, with
showers of green sparkles shooting out like fireworks"), a cozy
atmosphere (several "magical" recipes are included), and
charismatic characters.
*Publishers Weekly*
Cat may have been born to do magic, but she seems to not have
inherited any magical ability. Her mother, Poppy, is deeply
relieved, given her own disastrous history with spells (Poppy was
the child protagonist of the captivating The Power of Poppy
Pendle). Cat can’t accept her own normalcy, though, and it turns
out she’s right: a moment with one of her greatest fears, spiders,
seems to shake magic out of her. Terror-elicited powers are known
to be extremely hard to tame, however, and Cat’s so eager to try
them out that she doesn’t wait for proper training, turning her
best friend into an animal and causing other disasters. There are
no true villains this novel, just misunderstood people pushed
beyond their reasonable tolerance into reaction. This nuance is
warmly conveyed, and the characters are therefore all compelling,
whether “bad” witch or plucky heroine; all of them mess up and all
of them have the capacity to try to right their wrongs. Clever end
materials offer recipes (all of which would produce yummy products,
even without, for example, a griffin’s tooth), simple spells, and
advice to late-blooming witches. Fans of the earlier novel will
rejoice in seeing how Poppy has managed to fulfill her own dreams,
and they’ll appreciate the headstrong daughter that she has raised,
a realistic offspring given Poppy’s own irascible, determined
personality. AS
*April 2015*
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