The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

Moving from New York City to the small town of Hog's Hollow - where her Mom grew up - is a big and difficult change for Penny Lane, especially because her Dad stayed behind in the city, and at Hog's Hollow her mother seems unable to talk to her and spends most of her time working at the bakery she just opened, The Cupcake Queen.

Since she has no friends and doesn't feel like she fits in, Penny is mostly happy to spend her summer days in the bakery, designing decorations for the cupcakes.

However, when school starts and it begins to sink in that they might not be moving back anytime soon, and that her parents might not get back together, well, things get a little more complicated. Add to that the fact that the school's mean queen has Penny in her most hated list and she and her clique keep trying to make her life miserable.

There are some bright spots too, like the friendship Penny forges with Tally -a city girl transplant just like herself - and Blake (both Rock Paper Scissors aficionados), Marcus (whose family's getting back on it's feet after a tragic event) and his dog. And cupcakes, of course, lots of cupcakes.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, I loved the cover and I love cupcakes so I figured I would give it a go. Well, let me tell you, it was lovely. A sweet concoction of a book, even though it deals with a couple of topics that aren't light and fluffy at all, but deals with them in ways that ring true. There were also a couple of twists I loved, like the way Tally and Penny deal with Charity and her cronies. Over all, an interesting and sweet story.

Grade
1/3

PS - Before reading, I recommend having some cupcakes close at hand. Trust me, it's for the best.