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Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Isabel is dying to get out of Oregon. She spends her free time in the library, reading and dreaming about faraway places. When her mom decides to open a cupcake shop in their little town of Willow, Isabel feels just like buttercream frosting to a cupcake-stuck. It seems as if it will be another disappointing summer, until Isabel learns of a baking contest. If she can come up with a winning recipe, she might have a chance of competing in the bake-off in New York City! But Isabel's best friend, Sophie, is also entering the contest, and things always seem to go Sophie's way. To make matters worse, Isabel and her mom don't exactly see eye-to-eye on the type of recipe Isabel should enter. In this sweet treat by popular teen author Lisa Schroeder, Isabel discovers that maybe it's not about where you go in life as much as it is about enjoying the view from wherever you are.
School Library Journal
Gr 4–7—If 12-year-old Isabel becomes a finalist in the Baker's Best Baking Contest, she'll finally get to do something she's always wanted to do—travel. Her Chocolate Jam Tarts are delicious and original but her stressed-out mom wants her to create a cupcake recipe for the contest instead. Mom's store, It's Raining Cupcakes, is about to open and a winning entry from her daughter would be an excellent way to advertise, especially since the competition—Beatrice's Brownies—is moving into their little Oregon town. Isabel will have to be resourceful and unrelenting if she wants to make their dreams come true by transforming an old Laundromat into a successful venture. Schroeder includes interesting secondary characters: Isabel's grandma is never without a homemade hat, Stan the barber always leaves scenes with a knock-knock joke, and Isabel envies her wealthier friend Sophie's opportunities to enjoy sports, music lessons, and travel. This story is partially told through notebook entries and through postcards and letters Isabel receives from her flight-attendant aunt and from Sophie when she's at camp. The ending is upbeat but it leaves readers hanging about the outcome of the contest and fails to include Isabel's recipe that moves her to the next level of the competition, though it includes two others. This story about making dreams come true may encourage young girls to set goals and go after their own dreams.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada