FROM THE PUBLISHER

Cora Lee Merriweather baked the best pies and cakes for miles- fluffy meringue pies, flaky strudels, layer cakes, sheet cakes, and cakes with frosting finer than Irish lace. But now Cora Lee haunts the shop she used to own. When new bakers arrive to take over her empty bake shop, Cora Lee scares them away, each and every one. Then Annie Washington comes to town... Jacqueline K. Ogburn and Marjorie Priceman combine their talents to give us an enchanting baker's battle in this story about how to unlock the secrets of the perfect recipe and a lonely heart.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Chock-full of fluffy meringue pies and a forlorn poltergeist, this culinary ghost story shows how, with a little determination, two cooks can learn to share a single kitchen. Miss Cora Lee Merriweather's bakery is "the best bake shop in these parts-maybe even in the whole state," and "the chocolate in her Mississippi mud pie was darker than the devil's own heart." After Cora Lee's death, her cantankerous ghost chases away succeeding owners of the bake shop, but she finally meets her match in tenacious Annie Washington. Ogburn's (The Magic Nesting Doll) languid, Southern imagery brims with delicious food puns and alliteration (in her quest to please Cora Lee, Annie "made tortes and tarts, babkas and bundts, pound cake and panforte"), and closes with a "Ghost-Pleasing Chocolate Cake" recipe. Priceman's (Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin) free-flowing, Bemelmans-style artwork, on the other hand, at times seem mismatched, depicting scenes that look as if they are set in France. Even the "preacher" at Cora Lee's funeral is pictured in an elaborate church wearing a formal priest's cassock. Still, Priceman's energetic, loose lined paintings show as much comedy as spookiness, while Cora Lee swoops around the kitchen breaking plates and eggs and strewing flour. Miss Cora Lee Merriweather's "lemon-pucker mouth" is finally transformed to sunny, buttercream yellow when Annie comes up with the perfect way to make peace. Readers will likely enjoy this unusual contest, and the surprise twist ending. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

In her bake shop, Cora Lee Merriweather produced every delicious baked goodie imaginable. When she dies, a series of new owners tries to run the shop, but it seems as if Cora's ghost is determined to defeat any new chef. After several disasters, the shop remains closed until Annie Washington, a cruise ship pastry chef, falls in love with it and decides to clean it up and reopen it. The mighty combat between Cora and Annie goes on for a whole night, until Cora challenges Annie to make the cake "no one ever made for me." If she can, then Cora will leave her alone. Annie tries cake after mouth-watering cake, until she realizes that it is Cora's birthday, and that is the cake that she really wants. Instead of leaving, the appreciative Cora forms a partnership with Annie that makes the shop more successful than ever. Priceman's snappy black lines and almost casual dashes of color are emotionally charged with the comic spirit of this fantasy. Cora Lee's elongated, wrinkled face and stooped posture contrasts appropriately with African-American Annie's top-knot hair-do, youthful figure and sparkling eyes. The illustrations swirl around the blocks of text depicting the settings and characters along with the appetite-stimulating products of their labors. A recipe for ghost-pleasing chocolate cake and easy frosting is included, but that should be only for older readers or adults. 2005, Houghton Mifflin Children's Books, Ages 4 to 8.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-The best cakes in town are made by Miss Cora Lee Merriweather, and when she dies, her ghost comes back to haunt the bake shop and harass any new owners until they leave. Years later, the establishment is bought by Annie Washington, the best baker ever to have worked on the Sea Star cruise ships. The ghost tries to scare this young woman into leaving as well, but to no avail. When Annie asks what she can do to be able to work in peace, Cora Lee asks for a cake "so rich and so sweet, it will fill me up and bring tears to my eyes. A cake like one-no one ever made for me." Annie bakes one good cake after another but doesn't discover the right one until she does some research at the library. Finally, Annie produces a birthday cake, and her present to Cora Lee is to call the shop Washington & Merriweather. Annie is an African-American woman with pluck who uses intelligence and kindness to win over a grouchy ghost. Priceman's illustrations are charming, with dashes of color and humor and a sense of action in each one. The art surrounds the text on most pages, causing readers to feel immersed in the plot. With two such wonderfully strong female characters, this is a delightful story with a satisfying conclusion.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews