When a rock icon, a Shakespearean showman, a clinical psychologist, and an international review panel all point to the same picture book, you pay attention. MUMAGEDDON! And the Food Magician—Sonya Anise’s rollicking, rhyming debut from Books Beautiful—has amassed a chorus of high-profile admirers. Readers’ Favorite awarded it the coveted 5-Star Seal, with critic Miche Arendse calling it “Brilliantly crafted, a mischievous masterpiece… an absolute joy to read!” Suede frontman and author Brett Anderson declares, “Parents will enjoy it as much as their kids.” Paul Moss, co-founder of The HandleBards, salutes it as “A hilarious slapstick joyride!” And child psychologist Anneke Reijmerink praises it as “an absolute gift for children’s emotional and social development.” Add in a gleeful reader verdict—“as good as Roald Dahl’s poems!!!”—plus a 4.9/5 Amazon average from 100+ reviews and multiple international book awards, and the recommendation list reads like a party you want to join.
The book earns its applause with panache. Told entirely in clever, laugh-out-loud verse and illustrated by Anise herself, this ages-8-and-up caper follows a chocolate-besotted boy with a knack for food magic. Banished from the kitchen by a merciless stepmother and exiled to a beastly boarding school, he turns punishments into pandemonium—weaponizing wit, whisk, and rhyme. It’s mischievous, moving, and just grisly enough to thrill young readers, landing squarely in the sweet spot for fans of Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake, and David Walliams. Under the froth sits a generous heart: follow your passions, use your voice, embrace compromise and forgiveness. Child psychologists have praised how the story stirs resilience, empathy, blended families, and self-belief into a feast kids can savor.
Anise’s own journey adds a final sparkle. A Central Saint Martins graduate and award-winning author-illustrator, fine artist, and product designer, she shelved this story for 25 years before sharing it at last: “I hope it inspires readers to listen to their inner whisperings and follow their dreams.” Born in Dublin and seasoned by life in England, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, she now works from the Balearic Islands—already cooking up the next MUMAGEDDON! installment. Until then, sample the images, cue the book trailer, and join the growing list of voices recommending a read-aloud that ricochets between belly laughs and big feelings.