Boomish and the Magic Pancake Pan

by Tara O'Riley, Matt Loveridge (Illustrator), Nick O'Riley

Overview

Prepare yourself for a very sweet tale-one that tells the adventurous journey of an orange, orphaned cat named Boomish K. Sullivan.

The Sweet Smiths of the Lemon Meringue Islands are in a dither. Their Master Smith has died, and production has halted on the sole source of desserts for the Bewhiskered Lands. There's only one way to find out who is to become the new Master Smith: consult the magic pancake pan.

The pan picks Boomish K. Sullivan and it falls to Desdemona, a determined mouse, to find him and bring him back to the islands before the desserts run dry.

Upon meeting Boomish, a cat with more swagger than sense, Desdemona is astounded by the pan's choice, but she must escort him home nonetheless.

Unbeknownst to them, the pirate Blackpaw has set her cat eyes on the pan, and hopes to use its magic to bring about her ultimate plan, "All for me, none for you".

If there is to be any chance for the Lemon Meringues, Boomish has to live up to his destiny and serve Blackpaw her just desserts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493502028
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	05/19/2014
Series:	Bewhiskered Tales , #1
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Shared love of books brought Nick and Tara O'Riley together-they met while working at Borders Books and Music.

With Boomish K. Sullivan and the Magic Pancake Pan, the writing duo breathes to life a story that teaches children the importance of friendship and responsibility, through a silly sense of humor and lighthearted pace. Amid a market saturated with children's literature trending toward darker themes and moods, the O'Rileys set out to go against the grain and celebrate the only time in one's life to be truly silly: childhood.

Nick has a bachelor's in print journalism. Tara has a master's in educational psychology. This is the O'Rileys' first writing collaboration, but not their first experience sharing with their children the magic that a good story can deliver.

They live in Northern California, with their three children, two dogs, and a cat.

Editorial Reviews

2014-06-19
A middle-grade novel set in a magical land of talking animals and sweet confections.The O'Rileys' debut begins on a sad note: Betsy, the Master Sweet Smith of the Lemon Meringue Islands, has just passed away, and the magic pancake pan is about to name her replacement. When the stalwart, unflappable mouse Desdemona learns that the replacement is one Boomish K. Sullivan, she undertakes a journey to track him down. At first, she mistakenly believes him to be the headmaster of Dismal Manor, an orphanage in Briarberry. It turns out that Boomish, a cat, is one of the orphans, and his antics regularly get him and his friends into trouble. On the journey back to the Lemon Meringue Islands, Desdemona attempts to teach Boomish about his new responsibilities, but the cat has a bad habit of not listening. After he gets their ship stuck on a rocky crag in the middle of the ocean, they're forced to stop at the town of Heckler's Hunch, where Boomish's behavior leads to his losing the irreplaceable magic pancake pan to Blackpaw the pirate. Boomish will need to learn to put others before himself in order to recover the pan and save the Lemon Meringue Islands. This lighthearted adventure moves swiftly along, and readers will likely identify with the fun, imperfect Boomish, whose habit of making up words ("An injustimous has happened to our friend that must be justimicated") adds to the levity. Black-and-white illustrations help bring the anthropomorphized animals and their funny circumstances to life. Overall, the book is suitable for independent readers or as a read-aloud for younger listeners.A fun, escapist tale that offers a positive moral.

Kirkus Reviews