The Cupcake Queen Review

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Release date: September 17, 2009

Source: Gift

When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny’s life isn’t what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn’t talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there’s Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog’s Hollow—like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life’s unexpected turns.

Review:

The Cupcake Queen was a light, fun read. Penny was a great main character and was really relatable. She was dealing with a problem that many of today’s kids are- divorce. Penny’s narration was fresh and fun. There were times when she was dealing with a lot, but I could understand where she was coming from. Although the plot was one that is a little overdone- the new girl getting picked on by the popular girl because the cute boy likes said new girl. Hepler did add some new twists to this plot line that really added to the appeal of the story. Charity, the snotty, popular girl, plays a lot of pranks on Penny, like putting spoiled milk in her locker. Penny and her two new friends get back at Charity and her cronies in a cool and original way. Blake and Tally are great characters and are definitely people I would want to be friends with. As Penny is only thirteen romance isn’t a big part of the book, but her crush, Marcus is really sweet. I loved how everything worked out in the end.

The cupcake shop play a pretty big role in the book and I loved reading about the cupcakes and how they made them and everything. A cupcake shop would be my dream place to work! Animals are another big part of the book. As a big animal lover myself, I enjoyed the scenes when they visited ARK, the animal shelter, and also when Penny discussed her cat and Tally’s various pets as well. All in all I would recommend this book for anyone ten and up. I’ve never dealt with divorce before, but I know a lot of people have, so it was interesting to read about it from Penny’s perspective. The Cupcake Queen is a quick read and has some great sub plots that keep the story moving.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars