P.S. Send More Cookies

March 1, 2017
Now back at home, the girls of Flowerpot cabin find themselves yearning for the sweet friendships of Moonlight Ranch summer camp to help them through some rough patches.Romance angst prompts Hannah, the white Flowerpot counselor, to bake cookies in hopes of soothing her broken heart. She also mails a box to mixed-race (Chinese and white) Grace, who desperately needs a little wisdom in the wake of a recent dogsitting fiasco. This prompts a whirlwind of cookie boxes and letters winging across the country. Whether it's a box of strawberry-thumbprint cookies for white Emma, who's dealing with the loss of her great-grandmother, or lemon cookies for African-American Olivia, trying to leverage her social media profile, each box arrives just at the right time. And even though white Lucy's cinnamon cookies arrive underbaked, they are perfect for when her estranged father reappears on the scene. Freeman tackles issues such as honesty, depression, grief, and the pressures of the digital age with finesse. And while sugary treats are nice, friendship is the real salve. Separate sections allow each girl to tell her own story. And a quartet of included recipes invites readers to share their own "flour power." Even away from camp, the Flowerpot campers blossom. (Fiction. 8-12)

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April 1, 2017
Gr 3-6-Four girls and their counselor become friends at the Moonlight Ranch Summer Camp in Arizona. Wishing to continue their friendship, they form the Secret Cookie Club and agree to send letters and cookies to one another whenever one needs a friendship boost (much like in -The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- series). Romance anxiety prompts Hannah, the Flowerpot counselor, to bake cookies in hopes of soothing her broken heart. She mails a box to Grace, who desperately needs some kind words in the wake of a disastrous dogsitting experience. This leads to a whirlwind of cookie boxes and letter writing. Whether it's strawberry cookies for Emma, who's dealing with the loss of her beloved great-grandmother, or lemon cookies for Olivia, who is trying to leverage her social media profile, the treats come at just the right time. And even though Lucy's cinnamon cookies arrive underbaked, they are perfect for when her estranged father reappears. Freeman addresses issues such as honesty, depression, grief, and the pressures of the digital age with tact. Separate sections allow each girl to tell her story, though the characters' voices are similar. The girls come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Hannah and Lucy are white, Grace is Chinese American, Emma is Jewish, and Olivia is African American), and almost all come from privileged, upper-middle class homes. Lucy, though also a resident of posh Beverly Hills, CA, is described as less fortunate (unlike her peers, who have live-in help and attend private schools, Lucy and her family shop at thrift stores and she pays her own way through summer camp). Cookie recipes are included in the back of the book. VERDICT A solid option for middle graders who enjoy Ann Brashares and lighthearted realism.-Paula Huddy, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN

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