Think of all the scenes in Shrek that involve gingerbread people and you have a glimpse into this absurdly entertaining, totally charming novel. Loved the gingerbread man/familiar, loved Spindle, loved Bob, and especially loved Molly and her undead horse Nags. She’s still, to some extent, figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, although her magic has driven her further down that path than most. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target.

Before I began this one, I only really knew the title and liked the idea of it, but I didn't know what to really expect. This book was the kind of story I wish I had when I was a teen—just the right amount of sarcasm and dark humor mixed with incredible worldbuilding and a nonstop storyline. Bob is a scene stealer, which is something I never would have guessed I would say about a gloppy bucket of yeast and dough that extends tentacles. And no, until I read this book, I did not have much of an idea of what exactly a sourdough starter is. There's a powerful assassin that's killing wizards and the magical community is leaving the city or going into hiding.Mona’s wry and often disgusted commentary on what’s happening around her and just how far the situation has been left to go awry reads like both Sixteen Ways and the Discworld. Nobody said anything to me, and they didn’t exactly stare, but they knew I was there, and I knew that they knew, and they knew that I knew that they knew, all in a creepy, crackling tangle of mutual awareness. Bob the carnivorous sourdough starter was a definite favorite, along with the gingerbread man familiar and Spindle the pickpocket were the main secondaries, along with Knackering Molly who can raise dead horses and is a touch not all there, and Mina’s aunt and uncle. This book is not only a Lodestar finalist but, at the time I’m writing this, already an Andre Norton winner! I can't begin to describe how much I loved this absolutely delightful book featuring silly shenanigans, leavened with some serious undertones.

There's a few standard characters rolled in (pushy, loving aunt, a thief) as well as some intriguing ones (the uncle, the horse witch). With a side-kick named Bob (yeast starter), a gingerbread man familiar, and a newfound belief and understanding of her talents she almost single-handedly helps win a war/battle.I’ve been seeing this book recommended constantly, and it has an enormous number of excellent reviews. Also her Aunt was hilarious and I loved how she tried to care for Mona and was a force unto herself. Where Harry Potter comes in, of course, is that Mona is just 14 and she’s expected to save the city. I not only laughed out loud at many points, but ended up reading bits to my husband who needed to know what I was cackling about so much.

I did like that it explored why the adults not doing their jobs in the damn first place and then relying on a child to save everyone was such an awful thing, because a lot of YA fantasies either don’t have adults at all or the adults are plainly evil instead of merely sleeping on the job, and the implications of making children step up are kinda…skipped over. I don't think I've ever listened to so many chapters about battle and preparation for battle in a middle grade book as I did in this one. Unless you consider people who “ look like the ass end of a seagull” as being particularly mouthwatering, that is. I can’t tell you how Kingfisher does it, but she is really good at making you love her characters without even realizing it.Disfruté mucho y lo recomiendo, una historia bonita y original y con muchos mensajes para compartir. So far, so good, but with the evil wizard hunting down ALL the mages, no matter how quirky, it becomes a matter of survival. Mona of course is in the middle of it, discovering more and more about her power, and what it can do. It’s fun and snappy and the gingerbread cookie and Bob the sourdough starter steal every scene they are in.

She has a lump of sourdough and a gingerbread man as funny sidekicks, and also makes friends with a street kid who teaches her how to survive when things suck. I loved every moment of this book - it was perfect for a cold winter's weekend snuggled up on the sofa! There are other wizards in the city of Riverbraid but they are similar to Mona with specific abilities or not that powerful at all. It doesn't take long before she learns there is a growing threat that magicas like her are facing in the city-state and while most magical individuals leave (or are killed), Mona soon finds herself in the unenviable position of having to stand-up and fight against the enemy. Una novela juvenil entrañable, adictiva y con una chispa especial gracias a su genial narradora, su ambientación es realmente lo que hace la lectura un poco de "lugar feliz" al menos para mi (la ciudad medieval con magia, hechiceros y conspiraciones) pero también tiene momentos bastante oscurillos y sorprende con alguno de sus giros y reflexiones.It's ethics and world-building are probably geared a little simply compared to some of her other works, which may be why it feels a little younger. And that one Ginger Bread Cookie has more personality than most authors give to their main characters. She has a great way with a turn of phrase and situational comedy and makes it all very funny for me. I feel guilty but I craved bread and gingerbread throughout this even though eating them would have felt tantamount to murder. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.