Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A Sweet Book for Sweet Readers


I picked up this book for two reasons:
1.) It has a cupcake on the cover.
2.) One of my very cool former students, Angela, recommended it.

Here's the sum sum summary:
As a result of her parent's divorce, Penny Lane (yes, she was named after one of my favorite Beatles' songs) has just moved from bustling, exciting NYC to tiny Hogs Hollow, and is definitely not happy about it. Besides missing her dad, her friends, and city life in general, a certain group of stuck-up girls is making her life miserable.

Her mother has opened a bakery, The Cupcake Queen, where Penny spends her free time decorating cupcakes and trying to disappear. Her intricate cupcake creations take her mind off the divorce and the humiliating pranks that the "mean girls" play on her day after day. Her life isn't all that depressing, though. She soon meets Tally, a cool girl in her art class, and Marcus, the cute son of the dairy farmer. Slowly she begins to adjust to small town life and in doing so, has to make a tough decision about her future.
Although the plot is mildly predictable, I didn't mind it in the least. I mean, we all need some predictability in our lives, right? Like the tooth fairy. You always know what's going to happen after you lose a tooth. Pillow. Money. Good. See, it's okay to be predictable. Anyways, back to the book.
My favorite character was Penny's quirky friend Tally, a Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) enthusiast with pink streaks in her hair. Despite her surface appearance, there's a lot of depth to Tally, and I like that in a supporting character.

This book has all of the ingredients of a deliciously sweet read--likable characters that you can relate to, humorous situations, a great storyline, and an underlying message that everyone can take to heart. Thanks, Angela for this delectable goody!

And now....for the cupcakes!!!


Click HERE to try this uber-yum Mini-Oreo Surprise Cupcake.


Click HERE to see more amazing cupcake photos!

9 comments:

  1. i think it is going to be about baking because it is about cupcakes. i sure it would be a good book to read.

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  2. I only found your blog earlier this month, but I've now read through all your posts and have had such a great time doing so! And now I've linked to you from my post today:
    http://www.playingbythebook.net/2009/12/23/fantastic-fiction-for-kids-baking/
    Looking forward to reading more from you :-)

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  3. I've given this book as a gift, but still need to read it myself. Love the review and the cupcake photos!

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  4. I love getting student recommendations. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Love the combination of books and baking!
    I had to print out the oreo cupcake recipe. YUM!

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  6. My favorite moral was the one when she was honest and got the other mittens.

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  7. My favorite moral was when the girl had lost her mittens her mom was going to pin them to her sleeves like her little brother. Then Mr. Jupiter asked if he could go down to the basement she was honest and got other pairs and her other ones back. Another girl puts her mittens in the garbage and says she lost hers but when she goes down to the basement she takes the librarians and never gets her gloves back. I love people that are HONEST.

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  8. Thoses look like super good cup cakes.

    From Katie :D

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  9. Nice cupcakes. that sounds YUMMMMMMMY!

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