A Tangle of Knots

December 24, 2012
America’s got Talents in this cozy novel from Graff (Double Dog Dare), set in a contemporary world in which certain people have specialized abilities, from levitation to spitting perfectly. Eleven-year-old orphan Cady has a Talent for baking—not only does Cady create the most delicious cakes around, she innately knows what someone’s “perfect” cake is. When she gets adopted, her Talent helps unravel the mysteries of her past, but it also puts her in danger of losing her ability. Set mostly in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Graff’s story has a warmth and gentle humor that, along with the premise, calls to mind Ingrid Law’s Savvy. The author flips neatly between the perspectives of multiple characters, and the intricate connections between the narratives come together in a pleasing way as secrets are revealed. Readers who share Cady’s love of baking will appreciate the inclusion of several cake recipes, like Marigold’s lime pound cake and Mrs. Asher’s honey cake, which are mentioned throughout the story and tied to key characters. Ages 8–up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media.

Starred review from January 15, 2013
A mysterious man in a gray suit, an assortment of vintage, powder blue suitcases and a beguiling orphan girl with an amazing talent for baking cakes are among the tasty ingredients in Graff's delicious new novel. Multiple, varied characters intersect to reveal long-held secrets and imaginative connections. Cady is the only orphan remaining at Miss Mallory's Home for Lost Girls in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where people are either Fair or Talented. Those who are Fair, like Cady's friend, Marigold, envy those like Cady with a special gift. Cady's is for baking: She can look at any person and immediately know the flavor of their favorite cake. Cady makes the most beautiful cakes, guaranteed to win the hearts of their recipients--and baking-contest judges. Marigold, meanwhile, has no special Talent, and the mysterious, nefarious Owner has more than his fair share. Graff weaves a miraculous tale of whimsy with the same attention to detail as a master chef. Carefully blending past mistakes and regrets with future wishes and dreams, she shows us the power of loving ourselves and the pain of living in the past. The narrative shifts from character to character, always in the third person, revealing bits and pieces of the story; occasional cake recipes are sprinkled throughout. Subtle and intricate, rich with humor and insight, this quietly magical adventure delights. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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March 1, 2013

Gr 3-7-Graff has created a world very much like our own, but just a little bit magical. In this version of Poughkeepsie, New York, many lucky people have Talent, one skill that makes them special. Cady, an orphan who lives with kindly Miss Mallory, can look at a person and immediately know what they like and bake their ideal cake. Miss Mallory's talent is finding just-right parents for orphans, but so far, she hasn't felt that perfect-parent pull for Cady. While the 11-year-old is the star of this tale, the novel integrates an expertly developed cast of supporting characters who all have their own amazing stories. Not until the very end do readers see how their paths intertwine. The plot twists deliciously around an irresistible peanut butter factory, an evil Talent thief, a very important hair pin, and a rare powder-blue suitcase that could hold the key to everything. Sprinkled throughout is a generous helping of cake recipes, perfectly suited to each of the characters, just begging to be tried. Recommend this one to fans of Sheila O'Connor, who will appreciate the charming and unusual setting, and Wendy Mass, for those who like a little dose of fantasy thrown in with their realism.-Mandy Laferriere, Staley Middle School, Frisco, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2013
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Although she is the last orphan who has not yet been placed in an adoptive home by her orphanage's matron, 11-year-old Cady is cheerful, and she possesses a talent that cheers others: she can bake just the perfect cake to suit the disposition of anyone for whom she cares. Graff, whose middle-grade titles include The Thing about Georgie (2007), blends this delicious premise craftily into another story featuring a suitcase lost many years earlierand the gruff old man who seeks to reclaim it. The knot tying these two strands becomes even more elaborate with the introduction of a family of five, including a 6-year-old and his pet ferret. With grace and charm, as well as recipes for Cady's various cakes, Graff develops a clever series of plot twists and eccentric, fully formed individuals, each of whom has his or her own secrets, worries, and points of intersection with the knotty problems arising for the other characters. Complex without ever being confusing, witty, and sprinkled with gently scary bits, Cady's story is as satisfying as her cakes. Combining the literary sensibility of E. B. White with the insouciance of Louis Sachar, Graff has written a tangle that should satisfy readers for years to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Down-on-his-luck Mason Burgess rents rooms to seemingly disparate characters. They live in a world much like our own, but one populated by those who have Talents (and those who don't). Cady, a young cake baker (nine recipes included), gives the novel its heart. Her search for family uncovers a multilayered backstory, with events from each character's life connecting to her own.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2013
Young Mason Burgess, clutching a suitcase, boards a bus for Philadelphia. Told to check it, he grudgingly does. But during the journey his suitcase mysteriously disappears. Fast-forward fifty-three years. Mason, now down on his luck, rents rooms to a number of seemingly disparate characters. They live in a world much like our own, but one populated by those who have Talents (including precision spitting, knot-tying, and knitting) and those, known as Fair, who do not. This jumble of information comes quickly in the beginning chapters; a single cliffhanger creates context: "In just one short week, every last one of them would have lost the thing they treasured most in the world." With so many individuals (from an orphan who can bake the perfect cake to a mystery writer who has lost her ability to use words) and situations, it is plot, rather than character, that drives the novel. Mason's half-a-century quest for his suitcase never develops as an arc and becomes an awkward, ancillary distraction. Instead, Cady, the cake baker (nine recipes included), gives the novel its heart. Her search for a family uncovers a multilayered backstory, with events from each character's life connecting to her own. Graff's first foray into fantasy resembles a jigsaw puzzle without a box-cover illustration; one must put all the pieces in place before the big picture is revealed. betty carter

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)