Frosted Kisses

August 15, 2015
Penny, from The Cupcake Queen (2009), endures barbs thrown by her bullying nemesis, Charity, but further trouble emerges when a new exchange student seems bent on stealing Penny's boyfriend. Penny's darn busy-when she's not at school, she's working at her mother's cupcake shop or helping her best friend, Tally, with odd jobs in order to raise funds to save the local animal shelter from closing. Meanwhile, her burgeoning relationship with Marcus renders her completely giddy, and she dreams that he'll be her first sweet kiss. But when Penny sees Marcus hanging out with Esmeralda, the gorgeous, new Parisian foreign exchange student, and later with Charity, she falls into worry and uncertainty. And to top it off, her parents are newly divorced, the holidays are approaching, and Penny's dealing with her increasing anger toward her father, who perennially breaks his promises to visit. A number of miniplotlines dilute the story's focus: among others, Penny suffers a concussion, but nothing comes of it save a few missed days of school, and her art teacher's relationship with a visiting artist seems suspiciously close. But as in her first outing, Penny's voice charms; she's keenly observant and wry, balancing surely between young innocence and burgeoning bravery. Readers will cheer the ultimate delivery of a satisfying, heaping dose of justice on the guilty. A mean-girl story with a big heart and soul. (Fiction. 12-16)

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October 1, 2015

Gr 7-10-Named for her dad's favorite Beatles song, Penny Lane lives in Hog's Hollow with her mother and grandmother. Following her parents' separation in The Cupcake Queen (Dutton, 2009), Penny is now navigating her way through their divorce and her father's excuses for not visiting her. Yet she remains distracted by the plans of her animal-loving, artistic best friend, Tally, who plans to save the local animal shelter by doing odd jobs for neighbors and friends. One of their clients is the mysterious bachelor Dutch, who just arrived in town and provokes bouts of rage from Penny's grandmother. As Penny tries to solve that mystery, Tally suddenly becomes distant and moody. Though initially Penny thinks that Tally's problems are the result of the mean girl Charity's escalating bullying, it becomes clear that Tally is struggling with something far more hurtful than the comments and glares from Charity and her minions. Things only get worse when their new friend Charlotte returns to the mean girl group and the new student, Esmerelda, appears to be wooing away Penny's almost-boyfriend. Reading the first book isn't absolutely necessary, but the purchase of this companion novel should be predicated on the successful readership of The Cupcake Queen. VERDICT This sweet story will win over middle schoolers, who will relate to the rocky realm of bullying, new romance, and friendships.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

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