Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

In the small town of Rose Hill, Texas, the Logroño family runs a truly magical bakery in Meriano's debut.Leo, short for Leonora, is the youngest of five sisters in a Mexican-American family. Leo feels left out as the older girls step up to help run the family bakery while she watches from the sidelines. Convinced that secrets are being kept from her, Leo skips school to do some reconnaissance and stumbles upon, first, the other women of the family participating in a mysterious ceremony and then, later, an old book titled Recetas de amor, azúcar, y magia, or Recipes of Love, Sugar, and Magic. When eldest sister Isabel discovers Leo with the book, she confirms Leo's suspicions that something is being kept from her: the women of her family are brujas, or witches. Though Isabel warns her against it, Leo decides to pursue her magical training independently, guided by the enigmatic recipe book, and uses the recipes to help her friends out of sticky situations. When things inevitably misfire, Leo finds she is on her own to right her magical mistakes. In this weave of Mexican, Texan, and American cultures, readers are sure to find mirrors to their own experiences and windows onto others, all wrapped in a fantastical bow. Scrupulously avoiding tokenism, Meriano builds a wonderful contemporary world in small-town Texas, full of diverse characters, where magic feels right at home and muggles will feel equally welcome.A series opener that's proof that windows and mirrors can be magical ingredients. (Fantasy. 8-12)

ALA Booklist

Leonora Logroño is the fifth daughter in a family of brujas, or witches, but she doesn't know it yet. At 11, she's feeling frustrated and left out when her family is preparing for Día de los Muertos, and she's the only one excluded. After some snooping, she finds out she has the ability to add magic to cooking, and when her best friend is having trouble with her neighbor (read: boy crush), she sticks her magical nose in and creates a big mess. There's lot of Spanish in the narrative, and Meriano cleverly accommodates readers unfamiliar with Spanish by making Leonora less fluent herself nce she so often misunderstands her Spanish-speaking family members, she regularly asks for clarification. There are also delicious recipes sprinkled in, and cute designs accompanying the beginning of each chapter. The power of friendship and family bonds, as well as how good intentions can end badly, are strong themes that will resonate with middle-grade readers. Leo is a funny, lovable protagonist, and readers will feel right at home in this cozy series starter.

Horn Book

Eleven-year-old Leonora Logroño doesn't get to help in her family's bakery. Leo snoops and discovers all her female family members are brujas, or witches. Impatient Leo doesn't want to wait four years for her initiation, so she experiments on her own, with comical results. First-novelist Meriano creates a believable family whose members sprinkle love, affection, and natural domestic gripes as naturally as they mix Spanish and English.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In the small town of Rose Hill, Texas, the Logroño family runs a truly magical bakery in Meriano's debut.Leo, short for Leonora, is the youngest of five sisters in a Mexican-American family. Leo feels left out as the older girls step up to help run the family bakery while she watches from the sidelines. Convinced that secrets are being kept from her, Leo skips school to do some reconnaissance and stumbles upon, first, the other women of the family participating in a mysterious ceremony and then, later, an old book titled Recetas de amor, azúcar, y magia, or Recipes of Love, Sugar, and Magic. When eldest sister Isabel discovers Leo with the book, she confirms Leo's suspicions that something is being kept from her: the women of her family are brujas, or witches. Though Isabel warns her against it, Leo decides to pursue her magical training independently, guided by the enigmatic recipe book, and uses the recipes to help her friends out of sticky situations. When things inevitably misfire, Leo finds she is on her own to right her magical mistakes. In this weave of Mexican, Texan, and American cultures, readers are sure to find mirrors to their own experiences and windows onto others, all wrapped in a fantastical bow. Scrupulously avoiding tokenism, Meriano builds a wonderful contemporary world in small-town Texas, full of diverse characters, where magic feels right at home and muggles will feel equally welcome.A series opener that's proof that windows and mirrors can be magical ingredients. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this effervescent kickoff to the Love Sugar Magic series, Leonora -Leo- Logroño is tired of being the baby of the family: her four older sisters all speak Spanish and get to help out at the family bakery, especially as they prepare for Diá de los Muertos. Then Leo discovers that her mother and sisters are actually brujas, able to bake magic spells into their pastries. -Our power comes from the magic of sweetness,- explains one sister. -Sweetness from love and sweetness from sugar.- Leo will be initiated at age 15, but she can-t wait to try her hand at magic, resulting in a love spell that goes horribly wrong. Meriano-s first novel is steeped in Mexican culture, family lore, and delicious baked goods. Readers who don-t speak Spanish will share in Leo-s confusion (the magical recipes are all written in Spanish), and those who do will enjoy being in on the family-s secrets. A warmhearted read that will satisfy readers and leave them eager for a second helping. Art not seen by PW. A Cake Literary property. Ages 8-12. Author-s agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary. (Jan.)