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Midsummer’s Mayhem Audiobook
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Publisher Description
Can Mimi undo the mayhem caused by her baking in this contemporary fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Eleven-year-old Mimi Mackson comes from a big Indian American family: Dad’s a renowned food writer, Mom’s a successful businesswoman, and her three older siblings all have their own respective accomplishments. It’s easy to feel invisible in such an impressive family, but Mimi’s dream of proving she’s not the least talented member of her family seems possible when she discovers a contest at the new bakery in town. Plus, it’ll start her on the path to becoming a celebrity chef like her culinary idol, Puffy Fay.
But when Mimi’s dad returns from a business trip, he’s mysteriously lost his highly honed sense of taste. Without his help, Mimi will never be able to bake something impressive enough to propel her to gastronomic fame.
Drawn into the woods behind her house by a strangely familiar song, Mimi meets Vik, a boy who brings her to parts of the forest she’s never seen. Who knew there were banyan trees and wild boars in Massachusetts? Together they discover exotic ingredients and bake them into delectable and enchanting treats.
But as her dad acts stranger every day, and her siblings’ romantic entanglements cause trouble in their town, Mimi begins to wonder whether the ingredients she and Vik found are somehow the cause of it all. She needs to use her skills, deductive and epicurean, to uncover what’s happened. In the process, she learns that in life, as in baking, not everything is sweet.
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“Narrator Ariana Delawari’s childlike pitch and pacing perfectly capture the magical realism of this delicious spin on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream…Delawari gives distinct voices to Mimi’s older siblings and slight accents to the anachronistic bakery staff. Bird songs in the forest heighten the mood of otherworldly wonder.”
— AudioFile
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“You don’t need to be a Shakespeare fan to enjoy this modern fantasy twist on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the third act (so to speak) takes a wonderful, unexpected turn.”
— IndieBound -
“Original and compelling. The realistic characters and complex family dynamics augment the tightly knit plot…A delectable treat.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Enchantment reigns, yet the author’s exploration of family, friendship, and self-esteem are firmly grounded in reality.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A sensitive and thoughtful novel that addresses family dynamics and self-confidence…Readers will relate to Mimi’s attempts to stand out and find her place.”
— School Library Journal -
“This riff on A Midsummer Night’s Dream is heartfelt and ridiculously fun. Mimi, sweet as sugar with a heart of gold, creates as many problems as she solves, but readers will be cheering for her and her family the whole way.”
— Booklist -
“A sweet and fun story about mistaken identity, bumpy romance, and the everyday magic of baking.”
— Barbara Dee, author of Star-Crossed and Halfway Normal -
“Laugh-out-loud funny one moment and mouthwateringly delicious the next, Midsummer’s Mayhem is an utter pleasure to consume from the very first page.”
— Tara Dairman, author of The Great Hibernation
Awards
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An Indies Introduce Pick for Middle Grade for Summer/Fall 2019
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One of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of the Year for Middle Graders
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About Rajani LaRocca
Rajani LaRocca is the author of fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and poetry. She was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes. Find her online at RajaniLaRocca.com and on Twitter and Instagram @rajanilarocca.
About Ariana Delawari
Ariana Delawari, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a musician, director, and actress. A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, she directed We Came Home, an award-winning documentary about her journeys to Afghanistan since 9/11, the making of her album “Lion of Panjshir,” and her family story. She recently became the first female of Afghan descent to perform rock music live in Afghanistan in over thirty years. She is also a member of the LA Ladies Choir and was recently a speaker and performer at the inaugural TEDx Kabul.