Bee is an orphan, alone in a poor, crumbling kingdom. In desperation, she steals a bun from a bakery. To Bee's surprise, the baker offers her a place at his shop. As she learns to bake, Bee discovers that she has a magical power. When a new friend desperately needs her help against an evil mage, Bee wonders what a small orphan girl with only a small bit of magic can do. Bee's journey to help her friend becomes a journey to save the kingdom, and a discovery of the meaning of family. AGES: 9-12 AUTHOR: Diane Zahler is the author of four middle-grade fairy-tale retellings: 'The Thirteenth Princess', 'A True Princess', 'Princess of the Wild Swans', and 'Sleeping Beauty's Daughter's. She has also written two nonfiction books for older readers, 'The Black Death' and 'Than Shwe's Burma', and a nearly infinite quantity of textbook materials for elementary and high school students.