The Bake Shop Ghost

Baker extraordinaire Cora Lee Merriweather, with her lemon-pucker mouth and scraped-back bun, haunts her famous shop after she passes on in this humorous and ultimately heartwarming ghost story from author Jacqueline K. Ogburn and illustrator Marjorie Priceman. Driving away every subsequent proprietor, she eventually meets her match in Annie Washington, the new owner and no slouch as a baker herself. After their initial standoff, they reach a deal: if Annie can bake Cora Lee a cake like she herself baked, but which no one ever baked for her, one that will bring tears to the old ghost's eyes, then Cora Lee will desist. But is Annie up to the task...?

There's never much doubt as to the outcome, but watching Annie get there is half the fun show more in The Bake Shop Ghost, which has plenty of appeal both as a ghost story—Cora Lee can really get up to some mischief!—and as a story of friendship, and healing the wounds of the past. I suspected what the cake in question would be, and was not wrong. A lighthearted and entertaining read, pairing an engaging story with expressive illustrations that match the madcap antics being described, this would make an excellent book for the Halloween season, but also for all year. Recommended to children who enjoy ghost stories that are a little bit scary and a little bit sweet. show less

A really cute book about a renowned baker who dies and haunts anyone who tries to bake in her bakery! It even has a (delicious-looking) cake recipe in the back! The illustrations are really cool in the book and I like how sassy Annie is to Ms. Merriweather.

Fun book to use in fall, just before Halloween! About the book: The Bakery proprietress Cora Lee Merriweather is a sour old spinster, and after death she haunts her shop to ensure that no one will fill her kitchen clogs. But she meets her match in Annie Washington, a pastry chef with cocoa-colored skin and a bold demeanor, to whom the badly behaving ghost proposes a challenge: "Make me a cake . . . like one I might have baked, but that no one ever made for me." In attempting to satisfy Cora Lee's discriminating sweet tooth, Annie finally concocts a successful recipe that blends compassion in with the standard batter. Caldecott Honor Book illustrator Priceman keeps things meringue-light, indicating Cora Lee's ghost with a few fierce show more strokes and filling the rest of each spread with lines and colors that swirl like ribbons of icing and suggest the expressive styles. show less

“The Bake Shop Ghost” is a sweet story about two bakers, one of them a ghost. Ms. Merriweather may have been the best baker in town but that was a very long time ago. She would like for Annie to leave the shop, and it is not just “Get out of my kitchen!” she shouts, but she also wreaks havoc with the baking supplies! Nevertheless, Annie is willing to persevere to understand her fellow baker. The art is very eye catching and you find yourself wanting to take in the details of each colorful page (keep your eye out for that charming feline). Readers also have the chance to engage with the story, trying to solve the riddle before Annie does. Be sure not to miss the “Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake” recipe at the end of the book.

Cute story about a chef who doesn't get spooked and give up! I liked how Annie went the extra mile by doing some research and thinking outside the box.

I read this for the "A Book With Recipes Inside" part of my 2020 reading challenge. I wasn't a fan of the art style, but the story was good and I'm really looking forward to trying the Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake Recipe in the back!

I really like the illustrations in this book because they look like a contemporary painting--watercolor strokes. The theme is about combining talents, in this case baking amazing cakes, to unlock a lonely heart. Cora Lee, the shop's previous owner was not really recognized as a person, only as a baker, and died lonely. I enjoyed the book because I like the underline message--working together.