Angel Cake by Cathy Cassidy

Penguin, 2009. ISBN: 9780141325170
(Age 9+) When Anya, her sister Kazia and their parents move to Britain from Poland, each is filled with dreams of a place in which they can have a better life. Teenage Anya imagines a pretty picture book cottage complete with whitewashed walls, rambling roses growing around the door and a wonderful garden. Her arrival in Liverpool falls far short of the images gleaned from her story books. Not only is her home unattractive, her hopes of quickly making new school friends and automatically fitting in seem impossible to achieve.
Once Anya meets Dan, the school 'bad boy', she sees another side to him and hopes that he will prove to be the 'angel' he presents himself to be when they are together. Through Dan, she experiences a different side of Liverpool, and begins to make friends. Problems arise, however, and suddenly the concept of returning to Krakow seems to be the worst possible thing which could eventuate. This is a story of friendship, resilience, romance and the desire to belong.
Cathy Cassidy has delivered yet another novel which will be devoured by girls. Her style of writing is engaging and easily read, the jelly bean coloured covers are appealing and eye catching. As with her novels, Cassidy's website is interactive, presented using colour, stylised imagery from the covers of her books and keeps her fans up to date with new titles and author information. Here, the author promotes the importance of friendship, daydreaming, reading and writing, major themes in her books. Cassidy reveals that she is an 'agony aunt' and genuinely seems to know and understand her readers and their concerns. Angel Cake is another title which will never be left on the shelf!
Jo Schenkel