Sasha and Puck and the Potion of Luck

by Daniel Nayeri, Anneliese Mak (Illustrator)

Overview

Sasha's father sells magic potions, but the potions don’t work. Can Sasha find a way to make the magic happen?

When local chocolate maker Ms. Kozlow comes to the Juicy Gizzard potion shop asking for luck, Sasha needs to find out why. Maybe Ms. Kozlow needs luck because she has a matchmaking appointment with Granny Yenta this afternoon. Can Sasha and Puck make it Ms. Kozlow’s lucky day?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807572498
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Series:	The Elixir Fixers , #1
Edition description:	None
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	292,829
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent some years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age eight with his family. He is the author of several books for young readers, including Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas. He lives with his family in New Jersey.

Anneliese Mak is an Australian illustrator and animator currently living and working in Canada. She has a love for animals, scarves, checking the weather, and bread. She revels in the challenge of telling stories in a single image.

Editorial Reviews

"An engaging kickoff well-stocked with vivid characters, yummy chocolates, and tantalizing hints of magic."—Kirkus Review


"... charming mystery for beginning chapter book readers."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2019-01-28

The daughter of an apothecary with a sideline in iffy potions tries to use both science and sleuthing to keep her father out of trouble.

Sure (fairly sure) that the luck potion her father sells to recently arrived chocolatier Letty Kozlow is bogus, young Sasha sets out to help it along—using her detective skills to determine which of three potential beaus would make the best match for the kindly but secretive shop owner. Along the way she picks up an odd, grubby, cherubic sidekick she dubs Puck and runs into several village residents ranging from mean rich girl Sisal to aptly named Granny Yenta and her (supposedly) magic rooster. This series opener being a setup episode, Nayeri makes Sasha's snooping and clue gathering a vehicle for introducing an ensemble with some characters, notably Puck and probably Ms. Kozlow, likely more than they seem. The world beyond the otherwise unnamed Village and a larger storyline (Sasha's mom is currently away battling the evil Order of Disorder) are merely sketched out now but are sure to come into play later on. For now, though, the focus is localized to, considering the names, clothes, and a reference to rusalkas, a vaguely Slavic setting. In keeping with the cast's array of types, the wide-eyed, olive-skinned figures in Mak's frequent illustrations have a Disney-esque look.

An engaging kickoff well-stocked with vivid characters, yummy chocolates, and tantalizing hints of magic. (map) (Fantasy. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews