What You Need to Know:
• Bake Sale is a sweet (pun intended) book about baking and friendship.
• The story is a bit thin, but that's ok, the illustrations, by cartoonist Sara Varon, are the real stars of the book!
• With the recent cupcake craze, this would make a wonderful gift, coupled with a cupcake store gift certificate or
bundled with actual cupcakes - especially for a tween! |
Sweet Book Summary:
Cupcake is sad. He runs a little bakery in Brooklyn, but lately, he has been feeling uninspired. Cupcake also gets booted out of his band in favor of a potato. Things are looking grim for Cupcake. But then he discovers that his friend, Eggplant, knows the world famous pastry chef, Turkish Delight. Eggplant even invites Cupcake to come along and visit Turkey with him, to meet Turkish Delight, when Eggplant goes back there to visit his long lost family. This re-energizes Cupcake, who starts to innovate by creating new baked goods and selling them outside the store at the park and special events. Cupcake raises enough money to buy his plane ticket to Turkey and accompany Eggplant. He will get to meet Turkish Delight!
However, Eggplant loses his job, and he can no longer afford to go to Turkey. Cupcake struggles and realizes it is more important for Eggplant to meet his family than it is for Cupcake to meet Turkish Delight, who is probably overrated anyway. Eggplant is thrilled. When Eggplant returns, he brings Cupcake a gift, a box of spices from Turkish Delight, just in time for Cupcake to enter an Exotic Baked Goods Contest. The first prize is two airplane tickets to any country!
Bake Sale is a gentle story about karma and friendship. The ending is not pat, because you don't know if Cupcake will win the contest. But it is hopeful, and I like that. Now I think I need to go bake something...yum.
**Image Courtesy of Macmillan Books
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Author: Sara Varon Illustrator: Sara Varon Published: 2011, 160 pages
Themes: Humor, Graphic Novel, Friendship, Cooking |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• Have you ever given up something to help a friend?
• What was it? How did it make you feel?
• If so, what did you do to feel better?
• What is your favorite sweet treat?
• Do you think Cupcake will win the contest? If he does, what do you think he will do with the tickets?
• What do you think Cupcake made for the contest?
• What kind of spices do you think Eggplant brought back? Do you know the names of any exotic spices? |
| This recommendation was written by: Melissa Y. |
| Support Independent Book Shops: Click Here to Buy this Book on IndieBound |
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