THE SUGAR QUEEN

TITLE: THE SUGAR QUEEN
AUTHOR: SARAH ADDISON ALLEN
Pages: 276
Date: 08/01/2009
Grade: 5
Library

This is an absolutely charming book. Maybe not quite as good as her first book, "Garden Spells", but not far off that mark either.
It is the story of Josey, who at 27 years of age has her whole life being dominated by her unloving mother. And while her mother has her convinced that she is fat and ugly, Josey takes her only comfort from sweets, travel brochures and romance novels, which she keeps hidden in her closet.
It is in that same closet that she one day finds Della Lee Baker hiding. Della is everything Josey isn't, flat out refuses to leave the closet and soon starts instigating changes in Josey's life.
Through Della, Josey meets Chloe, who's life is in ruins after her boyfriend admits that he has cheated on her. Josey and Chloe soon become friends, and with Della directing things from the closet, both their lives undergo amazing changes.
This is a story of love and friendship, with some magic thrown in.
I love the way books just appear for Chloe, and always on a topic she needs to know more about.
For me that (unfortunately) doesn't happen in the literal sense, but it is amazing how often I randomly look at a book in a bookshop or library, and it is exactly what I need to read, even if I didn't know that before seeing the book.
On that topic, one quote from the book:
"Books can be possessive, can't they? You're walking around in a bookstore and a certain one will jump out at you, like it had moved there on its own, just to get your attention. Sometimes what's inside will change your life, but sometimes you don't even have to read it. Sometimes it's a comfort just to have a book around."