Cake Pop Crush by Suzanne Nelson

In an attempt to find wholesome chapter books for upper elementary girls interested in the romance genre, I found just the thing in a Scholastic series by Suzanne Nelson. The books are a part of Scholastic's Wish series for tweens. New to the library are the foodie books by Suzanne Nelson: Cake Pop Crush, Hot Cocoa Hearts, Shake it Off, I Only Have Pies for You, Donut Go Breaking My Heart, Macarons at Midnight, Sundae My Prince Will Come, and You're Bacon Me Crazy.

In Cake Pop Crush, Ali Ramirez, her dad, and her abuelita run a small family bakery called Say It With Flour. Their business takes a hit when Perk Up, a new bakery/coffee shop (think Starbucks) moves into town and forces Ali's family to compete for the town's business. Ali tries to open her dad's mind to new ideas and strategies, such as adding her delicious cake pops to the bakery menu. Things get even more complicated when Ali discovers that Dane, the really cute new boy at school, is the owner of Perk Up's son and quite a baker himself.

The plot comes to a climax when Ali and Dane engage in a bake-off that could determine not only the future of Say It With Flour but also the future of Ali and Dane.

I recommend this book to 5th-6th grade girls who are interested in reading stories about middle school girls' lives, especially their friendships and crushes.

Mrs. N.