Hello, looking for beta readers for my manuscript. I've included a draft of my query letter below to give you a general feel for the story. When I wrote the manuscript I intended it as an adult low-stakes fantasy novella, but I have been considering repositioning it as a MG novel. Looking for general feedback on story flow, characters, emotional payoff, etc. I don't need line editing or anything so intense, just looking for someone to read through and give their general thoughts at end of every chapter or so.

QL: Armed with her late mother’s recipe book, about-to-turn-eleven-year-old Koshina embarks on a quest to prove she’s the best daughter ever. She’s going to surprise her Pa by baking him a cake for her own birthday all by herself. There’s just one problem: she can’t read. Nor, in fact, has she ever baked a cake.

 It’s been more than a year since Koshina last saw her father. More than a year since he was taken in the draft and forced to leave Koshina behind with their community of scrappers aboard a derelict beached warship bigger than cities. Leaving her with nothing but a promise that, no matter what, he’d make it home for her eleventh birthday. Now, with one failed cake under her belt and less than fifteen hours to midnight and his inevitable return she begrudgingly accepts the “incredibly minor assistance” of her only friend.

Together they turn to the wisest, oldest, most eccentric man they can think of for aid reading the recipe and guidance on gathering its ingredients. The old man sends them off with a list of individuals scattered across their colossal, rusting home who can each provide them with one of the ingredients. Koshina battles with the desire to still do everything “all by herself,” and while following the old man’s guidance continually looks for alternative ways to procure the items, often resulting in comical failure. Meanwhile, on their quest Koshina encounters a plethora of things she never knew existed aboard her home, such as talking cats, industrious rats, plants that sing, and above all else, the kindness of her neighbors and the importance of community.

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Please let me know if you're interested in giving it a read. I have limited availability to do a swap unless it's for something of similar size and looking for similar very general feedback and impressions.

Thanks!