Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters

by Emi Pinto

Overview

Inspired by Hansel and Gretel, this spooky ghost story and touching debut investigates the gingerbread houses that we trap ourselves in when we don’t learn to love ourselves as we are, perfect for fans of Ghost Squad and The Girl and the Ghost.

Bee wanted to spend the summer reading Betsy Chillers books and exploring the new spooky theme park with her best friend. Instead, she’s spending the summer trapped at Storm Lake with her too loud, too thrifty, and too Indian family.

Luckily, Bee finds a place to escape her embarrassment—a magical house across the lake that transforms her into the cool girl she always wanted to be. Maybe cottage life isn’t so bad after all! But strange dreams are haunting Bee, and there’s a chill in her bones she just can’t shake.

Bee follows her hunch—and the scent of gingerbread—to Lucas, the dorky boy next door. He thinks there are ghosts in the forest, but new friend Alina tells her what Bee has feared all along: There’s a witch at Storm Lake. And she’s coming for Bee.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063275720
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	346,562
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dr. Emi Pinto is a Canadian author who loves to write about cute ghosts, awkward witches, and food from her mixed South Asian and Franco-Ontarian heritage (masala poutine, anyone?). When she’s not getting lost on forest trails with her family, you can find Emi traveling the world, researching, and advising on international assistance programs. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

07/31/2023

A family vacation to a lakeside cottage goes awry in this “Hansel & Gretel”–inspired ghost story, Pinto’s debut. Indian Canadian 12-year-old Binita Bakshi has always felt embarrassed by her family (“If there was a prize for Most Embarrassing Things Parents Say, Bee’s mom would be the undisputed champion,” she thinks). And as one of the only brown-skinned families vacationing in the predominantly white town of Storm Lake, Bee’s desire to fit in feels even more out of reach. She soon discovers a magical house across the lake where she can be “the version of yourself you want to be.” There, she meets local girl Alina, who also has brown skin. Bee revels in their immediate friendship, but when Alina tells Bee about the legendary Gingerbread Witch who lives near Storm Lake, things around town take on a sinister aura. As her vacation becomes plagued by unsettling happenings, Bee endeavors to unravel the mystery behind the witch with the help of Alina and new friend Lucas, who reads as white. Bee’s self-effacing personality and her embarrassment of her family is occasionally overwrought, distracting from the lively plot and multifaceted tween cast. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Full of twists, genuine scares, and satisfying reveals, this debut is sure to please readers in search of a thrill. Gingerbread is plentiful in this spooky “Hansel and Gretel” retelling, but the lessons about friendship are sweeter still." — Kirkus Reviews

"Debut author Pinto’s homage to “Hansel and Gretel” is cleverly updated with mischievous loons, peach pickles, and ghost-seeing goggles." — School Library Journal

"Part fairy-tale retelling, part ghost story, part haunted house Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters adds up to one magical thing: A story that is all heart. A fun adventure with a loveable cast of characters that reminds you the only way to fit in is to just be yourself. That is the true gingerbread magic."  — Ally Malinenko, author of Ghost Girl and This Appearing House

"Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters is one of the rare books that can take readers across a full journey of emotions, from heart-pounding fear to laugh out loud humor. The mystery at the heart of this adventure is so well developed that I never could have predicted how all the pieces fell together, which is a testament to Emi Pinto’s storytelling skill. This book will scare and certainly excite you, but the important lesson readers take away is just as sweet as the cookie in the title suggests." — George Jreije, author of the Shad Hadid series

From the Publisher

2023-06-21
Bee assumed her family vacation would be boring; instead, she finds herself haunted and hunted by the Gingerbread Witch.

Twelve-year-old Indian Canadian Binita “Bee” Bakshi is embarrassed by her family. Her father is loud, her mother is a cheapskate, and her beloved Granny incessantly hums show tunes. Most embarrassing of all, however, is Bee herself. Her frizzy hair, tan skin, and secondhand clothes mark her as different when all she wants is to fit in. Bee finds solace in horror books featuring the fearless Betsy Chillers taking on paranormal threats. When her family decides to spend a week without Wi-Fi at a cottage on Storm Lake, however, Bee finds that the lessons from her favorite series are far from hypothetical. Something in the forest is watching her, something in the water wants to hurt her, and she can’t shake the smell of gingerbread. As Bee works with new friends Lucas, who is coded white, and brown-skinned Alina to unravel the sinister mysteries of Storm Lake, she must confront ghosts both past and present. Full of twists, genuine scares, and satisfying reveals, this debut is sure to please readers in search of a thrill.

Gingerbread is plentiful in this spooky “Hansel and Gretel” retelling, but the lessons about friendship are sweeter still. (Supernatural. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews