Choose your bedtime read by its cheerleaders, and MUMAGEDDON! And the Food Magician vaults to the top of the pile. The plaudits come from intriguing corners: Readers’ Favorite bestows its 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 chimes in—“Parents will enjoy it as much as their kids.” Paul Moss, co-founder of the globe-trotting troupe The HandleBards, dubs it “A hilarious slapstick joyride!” And child psychologist Anneke Reijmerink praises it as “an absolute gift for children’s emotional and social development.” Add the gleeful reader exclamation—“as good as Roald Dahl’s poems!!!”—plus a 4.9/5 Amazon average from 100+ reviews and multiple international awards, and the endorsements alone feel like a parade.
Hype aside, Sonya Anise’s debut earns its ovation. Published by Books Beautiful and told entirely in nimble, laugh-out-loud verse, this ages-8-and-up picture book ricochets between prank and poignancy. Anise illustrates it herself with playful, darting linework, giving the rhymes a visual echo that keeps young readers leaning in. It’s mischievous, moving, and just deliciously grisly enough to tickle the giggle nerve—catnip for fans of Dahl, Blake, and Walliams, while still sounding entirely her own.
The plot whisks together sweetness and bite. A chocolate-besotted boy with a gift for food magic is banished from the kitchen by a merciless stepmother and shipped to a beastly boarding school. Armed with wit and a whisk, he brews fantastical reprisals that turn discipline into pandemonium and revenge into rhyme. Beneath the froth, a modern fairy tale rises: follow your passions, use your voice, and find the courage to compromise and forgive.
What distinguishes the book is its balance—slapstick on the surface, substance underneath. Child psychologists have called it “a delightful gem that ticks every box,” and they’re right: resilience, empathy, blended families, and self-belief are folded into the fun so lightly that even reluctant readers will devour them. Read-alouds become a chorus; the rhythms invite participation, then make room for the bigger conversations after the laughs subside.
Anise’s talent is unmistakable. A Central Saint Martins graduate and award-winning author-illustrator, fine artist, and product designer, she writes with musical snap and paints with mischievous grace. The backstory adds a final gleam: first written as a young woman, MUMAGEDDON! lay quietly for 25 years before she finally shared it. “I hope it inspires readers to listen to their inner whisperings and follow their dreams,” she says. That long simmer shows in the polish and pulse on every page.
Verdict: recommended without reservation. The chorus of admirers—from rock royalty to theatre makers, psychologists to international reviewers—has it right. Seek out the images, cue the book trailer, and clear a space on the read-aloud shelf. MUMAGEDDON! And the Food Magician is a riotous, big-hearted confection with staying power—and Anise is a talent to watch as the series continues to rise.