Nina Crumb and the Seaside Syrup

I loved the characters — Nina is brave and funny, and Grandma Luli is the best grandma ever ❤️ The scene where the first pancake flips and lands with a "happy flop" made me grin. Bubbles the jar is adorable and sooo chatty. Great for kids who like silly, cozy stories and lots of pancakes! 🥞

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to care so much about pancakes, but here we are. This book turns a baking contest into full-on seaside caper energy. Mr. Crisp’s moustache is such a delicious bit of villainy (I pictured it poking through every balloon in town 😂). The oven

Crisp, bright, and very readable for its target audience. The plot is straightforward — broken oven, stolen recipe, race to save the Pancake Parade — but structured in a way that keeps momentum without overwhelming young readers. Character beats are well-placed: Nina’s quick hands at the griddle, Grandma Luli’s secretive pride in the Seaside Syrup, and the reveal of Mr. Zedekiah Crisp as a flashy rival all work on different levels. The comedic elements land, especially the oven’s dramatic cough and the talkative jar named Bubbles, which injects personality without derailing scenes. Language is accessible yet evocative ("batter poured like a satin ribbon" is a nice line). Overall a smart, warm middle-grade comedy with good thematic emphasis on community and kindness.

This is the kind of children's comedy that reminds me why I became a librarian. The prose is warm and gently humorous, with sensory details that evoke sea air, cinnamon steam, and a bakery kitchen full of life. Grandma Luli is a standout: a matriarch with stories and a secret recipe, and the blue recipe book resting like a "sleepy cat" is an image that will lodge in readers' minds. The emotional core — community pulling together against a flashy rival — is comforting rather than contrived. I particularly appreciated the balance between whimsy (a talkative sourdough jar named Bubbles!) and stakes (a stolen recipe could truly ruin the parade). Teachers and parents will find conversation-starters here about teamwork, kindness, and preserving traditions. A delightful, well-crafted tale for early middle-grade readers.

I adored Nina Crumb — she’s the kind of ten-year-old I’d want as my neighbor. The opening scene is pure seaside charm: gulls arguing on the pier, the bell going dingle-ding, and that tiny, cozy bakery that smells like butter and sunshine. The moment the oven goes “HHRRMMMPH” had me laughing out loud and worrying in the same sentence. Bubbles, the talkative sourdough jar, is a delightful, silly sidekick; I loved the banter between jar and girl. Grandma Luli is the warm heart of the story, and the blue recipe book feels almost alive (I wanted to peek inside). The tuba-playing friend and Sir Honks-a-Lot the gull add perfect comic touches. It’s funny, kind, and sweetly paced—ideal for 7–11 readers who like adventure with lots of heart.

Short and sweet: this story is a warm hug. The seaside setting is lovely and tactile — I could almost taste the pancakes. Nina is relatable and brave in a kid-sized way, and Grandma Luli is wonderfully grounded. Bubbles the sourdough jar is a charming, slightly absurd touch that kids will adore. The pacing mostly works, building neatly to the Pancake Parade. A perfect read-aloud book for family storytime.

I wanted to like this more than I did. There’s undeniable charm in the setting and in characters like Grandma Luli, but the plot leans heavily on familiar tropes: the flashy rival with a ridiculous mustache, a stolen recipe as the inciting theft, and a magically chatty jar to provide comic relief. Some scenes felt telegraphed — you can see the Pancake Parade climax coming a mile away — and the broken oven device, while amusing, is used to manufacture predictable obstacles rather than organic tension. The pacing dips in the middle; certain subplots (like the tuba friend) could have had more depth or been trimmed. Overall, pleasant and harmless, but not especially surprising or ambitious.

Cute idea and a sunny setting, but I left feeling the story played it safe. Bubbles the sourdough jar is adorable at first, then borders on gimmick, and the villain Mr. Crisp is sketched in broad strokes — moustache, shiny sign, instant menace. The stolen recipe angle could have been a clever mystery, but it resolves predictably, and some pacing issues make the middle drag. That said, there are lovely moments (Grandma Luli's recipe book, the pancake flip descriptions) and younger readers will probably eat up the humor and warmth. I just wish the plot took a few more risks.