In this magical fairy tale, the Witch is alone AGAIN on her birthday, so she bakes a Cake Girl to sing, dance, and do all the housework for her. The Witch tells Cake Girl she is going to EAT her, but clever Cake Girl turns the tables on her captor and shows her instead how it is possible and EVEN fun to be a nice person. The finale is a cornucopia of magic tricks and laughter, and is the best birthday either of them have ever had.

A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse. "This is Thunder Cake baking weather," calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. But the list of ingredients is long and not easy to find . . . and the storm is coming closer all the time! Reaching once again into her rich childhood experience, Patricia Polacco tells the memorable story of how her grandma--her Babushka--helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. Ms. Polacco's vivid memories of her grandmother's endearing answer to a child's fear, accompanied by her bright folk-art illustrations, turn a frightening thunderstorm into an adventure and ultimately . . . a celebration! Whether the first clap of thunder finds you buried under the bedcovers or happily anticipating the coming storm, Thunder Cake is a story that will bring new meaning and possibility to the excitement of a thunderstorm.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandra spends so much time helping others realize their dreams that she never has time for her own. An expert ocean diver and reluctant maker of wedding cakes, she longs to leave roses and frosting behind to study oceanography. Alex's mother won't have it-needy and dependent, Mom can't run the family wedding cake business on her own. No matter what Alex does, things only get worse for her. When she saves a man's life while scuba diving and becomes the local hero, Mom's angry with Alex for going diving at all. Mom discourages Alex's new friendship with Jeremy, a fun and insanely wealthy boy who happens to have a secret. Then, Alex's best friend, Zack, a hunky island guy, starts to take an interest in her as well. The problem is, he's dating another girl.As Alex struggles to learn where she stands between her two difficult and confusing Prince Charmings, it occurs to her that maybe what she really needs is a Prince Charming for Mom. If she doesn't do something fast, they'll bury her in her "Sue's Wedding Cakery" apron with a spatula in her hand. The Wedding Cake Girl features a colorful island setting, dangerous underwater diving adventures, a family of billionaires, and lots and lots of buttercream. The book is Alex's journey toward not only finding love, but learning how to step forward and take control of her own life, a rite of passage that faces all young readers.

Lucy Bywater wants to prove to the world that she can not only have her cake, but eat it too. This book charts the rise and rise of Lucy's career while she tries desperately to deal with the fallout from her dysfunctional family at home.

People Magazine Book of the Week A Best Book of the Year at Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, The Chicago Review of Books, Minnesota Public Radio, and more An Indies Introduce and Indie Next Pick Fans of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette and and Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang will delight in Annie Hartnett's debut, a darkly comic novel about a young girl named Elvis trying to figure out her place in a world without her mother. Elvis Babbitt has a head for the facts: she knows science proves yellow is the happiest color, she knows a healthy male giraffe weighs about 3,000 pounds, and she knows that the naked mole rat is the longest living rodent. She knows she should plan to grieve her mother, who has recently drowned while sleepwalking, for exactly eighteen months. But there are things Elvis doesn’t yet know—like how to keep her sister Lizzie from poisoning herself while sleep-eating or why her father has started wearing her mother's silk bathrobe around the house. Elvis investigates the strange circumstances of her mother's death and finds comfort, if not answers, in the people (and animals) of Freedom, Alabama. As hilarious a storyteller as she is heartbreakingly honest, Elvis is a truly original voice in this exploration of grief, family, and the endurance of humor after loss.

From Yolanda Gampp, host of the massively popular, award-winning YouTube sensation “How to Cake It,” comes an inspiring “cakebook” with irresistible new recipes and visual instructions for creating spectacular novelty cakes for all skill levels. On her entertaining YouTube Channel, “How to Cake It,” Yolanda Gampp creates mind-blowing cakes in every shape imaginable. From a watermelon to a human heart to food-shaped cakes such as burgers and pizzas—Yolanda’s creations are fun and realistic. Now, Yolanda brings her friendly, offbeat charm and caking expertise to this colorful cakebook filled with imaginative cakes to make at home. How to Cake It: A Cakebook includes directions for making twenty-one jaw-dropping cakes that are gorgeous and delicious, including a few fan favorites with a fresh twist, and mind-blowing new creations. Yolanda shares her coveted recipes and pro tips, taking you step-by-step from easy, kid-friendly cakes (no carving necessary and simple fondant work) to more difficult designs (minimal carving and fondant detail) to aspirational cakes (carving, painting and gum-paste work). Whatever the celebration, Yolanda has the perfect creation, including her never before seen Candy Apple Cake, Party Hat, Rainbow Grilled Cheese Cake, Toy Bulldozer Cake and even a Golden Pyramid Cake, which features a secret treasure chamber! Written in her inspiring, encouraging voice and filled with clear, easy-to-follow instructions and vibrant photos, How to Cake It: A Cakebook will turn beginners into confident cake creators, and confident bakers into caking superstars!

Thank you, hedge, / Thank you, tree. / Thank you, flower, / Thank you, bee. / Thank you, rain, / Thank you, sun. / Thank you, farmers, / every one. In this simple rhyming story from the author of Held in Love, a child says thank you for the gifts nature provides, from hazelnuts in the hedge to apples from the tree, eggs from the hens to milk from the cow. Eventually, the family has enough ingredients to make something special…a delicious apple cake! With captivating illustrations that brim with emotion, this sweet picture book encourages children to be grateful for the world around them—the perfect read for Thanksgiving. A recipe for apple cake at the end allows you and your child to share in the joyful gratitude.

A quick and easy guide to cake decoration by the bestselling author of Creative Éclairs and finalist from The Great British Bake Off. Discover how even the busiest chef can whip up impressive homemade treats in next to no time! Ruth Clemens, finalist on the first series of The Great British Bake Off, shares her secrets in creating quick-but-gorgeous cakes, bakes, and biscuits. Choose from twenty-five beautiful, fuss-free projects to make in under an hour, in an afternoon, or over a weekend and be amazed at what you can achieve! The simple projects are split into three sections. The Evening Whip-Ups (one-hour projects) are perfect when you have very little time, and are easy to throw together one evening after work. The Half-Day Delights (two-hour projects) are for when you have an afternoon to spare. Finally, the Weekend Wonders (three- to four-hour projects) are for when you’ve got a bit more time available in your schedule! In addition, Ruth outlines all the equipment and ingredients you need, shows how to line a cake tin, and gives her tried-and-tested recipes for fruit cake, sponge cake, and chocolate cake, as well as cupcake recipes, cookie recipes, and frosting recipes. You will learn how to decorate easily with royal icing, buttercream, marzipan, sugar paste, and ribbon, as well as how to color fondant to your desired shade, how to stack cakes using dowels, and some wonderful creative embellishment techniques. The Busy Girl’s Guide to Cake Decorating—the perfect place to start your foray into the world of cakes!

Since the ax blade was expertly honed and it was swung with precision and power, perfect pieces of firewood fell on either side of the cutting stump. Splitting perfect firewood was an art, and Grayson Rivers was satisfied with his efforts. As part of his fairly regular fitness routine, he hand cut his own firewood, at least as much as time would allow. What people said about firewood was true. Cut your own wood, and it warmed you twice. Cutting his own also made him thankful for the half-ton gas wood splitter he used for the bulk of his serious woodcutting.

#1 New York Times Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations. FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices. This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, “The God of Cake,” “Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving,” and her astonishing, “Adventures in Depression,” and “Depression Part Two,” which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Brosh’s debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to. FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative—like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it—but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book: Pictures Words Stories about things that happened to me Stories about things that happened to other people because of me Eight billion dollars* Stories about dogs The secret to eternal happiness* *These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!