A Taste of Magic

Park Row Magic Academy, Book 1

By: J. Elle

Narrated by: Imani Parks

Bloomsbury presents A Taste of Magic by J. Elle, read by Imani Parks.

“An enchanting adventure that will leave readers hungry for more.” – Kwame Mbalia, #1 New York Times bestselling author

New York Times bestselling author J. Elle makes her middle grade debut in this magical new series about a Black girl who learns she's a witch and must save her inner-city magic school from closing, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass.

Kyana Turner has just found out the family secret—she’s a witch! This means mandatory lessons every Saturday at Park Row Magick Academy, the magic school hidden in the back of her local beauty shop. Learning spells, discovering charms and potion recipes, and getting a wand made to match her hair's curl pattern, Kyana feels like she's a part of something really special. The hardest part will be keeping her magic a secret from non-Magick folks, including her BFF, Nae.

But when the school loses funding, the students must either pay a hefty tuition at the academy across town or have their magic stripped . . . permanently. Determined not to let that happen, Kyana comes up with a plan to win a huge cash prize in a baking competition. After all, she’s learned how to make the best desserts from her memaw. But as Kyana struggles to keep up with magic and regular school, prepare for the competition, and keep her magic secret, she wonders if it's possible to save her friendships, too. And what will she do when, in the first round of competition, a forbidden dollop of magic whisks into her cupcakes?

J. Elle's debut middle grade fantasy is full of humor, heart, and mouthwatering desserts.©2022 J. Elle (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Authentic baking

I liked the friendship storyline which resonated with our experiences, and, of course, the Black girl magic! So fun!

Baked and Cozy

Great book for young readers. It touched on discrimination and injustice in a very palatable way.

Good story, bad reader.

The story was great and interesting but the voice acting was sooo slow I thought it was slower down. In the end, I ended up listening to the book in 1.5x speed. The voice actor also sounded too childish in my opinion, I would have liked some more maturity in the voice and more speed with the voice acting.

Great mix of fantasy and culture

I like the way the author skillfully reflects reality through fantasy, keeping the story rooted but also imaginative.

Very cute but the narrator..

I enjoyed the story and found it to be a fresh take on a common theme. The main character is relatable and easy to empathize with. The conflict was appropriate for the age group and intriguing enough to return for a sequel.

My only complaint was the narrator… she’s skilled with differentiating the characters voices from one another. But the cadence was honestly bizarre, especially with the main character‘s inner monologue. I truly cannot understand her decisions on where to pause and which words to emphasize. It is distracting and annoying. The only relief is with the shorter sentences which are plentiful. I’m hoping for improvement or a different narrator for the next book.