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Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

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.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 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.

    • School Library Journal

      October 1, 2023

      Gr 3-7-Bee should be with her bestie in Florida at the Betsy Chillers amusement park for the exclusive release of the fictional sleuth's latest horror installment. Instead, she's spending the week at Storm Lake, forced to listen to her father spout odd facts, her mother boast about bargains, her granny hum random showtunes. How could anyone not be embarrassed with a family like that? Meeting the neighbors offers no relief-"weird kid" Lucas definitely needs to be avoided. The week improves when Bee meets cool-girl Alina, but what of the local witch? Dutt showcases a versatile range, as believable as tween Bee as lyrically accented Granny. Dutt also adeptly channels judgmental BFF Kitty, manipulative Alina, down-to-earth Mom, and trusting Lucas. VERDICT Dutt bestows aural enhancement to debut author Pinto's homage to "Hansel and Gretel"-cleverly updated with mischievous loons, peach pickles, and ghost-seeing goggles.

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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