Hepler, H. (2009). The cupcake queen. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.
ISBN-13: 978-0-525-42157-3
Plot Summary
When her parents separate, Penny Lane (daughter of Beatles lovers), is forced to leave her beloved New York City behind and create a new life in the rustic, beach town of Hogs Hollow. She reluctantly works in her mother’s cupcake shop, Cupcake Queen, which has become the new popular bakery in town. However, instead of trying to make new friends, she would rather IM the friends she left back in the Village, which seems worlds away. Gram, her grandmother, not only helps out at the bakery, but also helps Penny adjust to her new home. Life gets easier when Penny makes new friends and they work together to save the local animal shelter, and Penny begins having romantic feelings for Marcus, who seems to reciprocate them. When the time comes for Penny to decide where to live, with her mom in Hogs Hollow or her dad in the City, Penny must weigh in the many factors that affect her life.
Critical Evaluation
Penny’s voice shines through in first-person narration with humor and wit: “In my case, ‘fine’ is an acronym for Freakin’ Irrational Nightmare Experience” (21). Through her sophisticated narration, we learn how it feels to be the new girl in high school, we create impressions of people in her town and compare them with people in the big city, and we experience the hesitant moments of a budding romance. The plot, though, is somewhat predictable and the characters are your standard chick lit fare: the popular mean girl, the quirky outsider, the clueless teachers, the wise grandparent, and the mysterious handsome boy.
Readers will connect with Penny’s fear of her parents’ divorce and her inability to effectively communicate with them. Penny is an artist, and readers might enjoy the descriptions of her creations, especially those of the cupcake variety. Through the strongest component of the novel, Penny’s voice, readers are taken to a world where simple joys like having a boy like you are as sweet as frosting. Themes such as you can find happiness where you least expect it and the popular girls don’t always win will resonate with young adult female readers.
Reader’s Annotation
High school freshman Penny Lane is new in town and has culture shock coming from New York City. Right when she is beginning to feel comfortable, her parents ask her to make a difficult decision; despite these complications, Penny learns that life can be sweet indeed.
Author Information
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Heather Hepler attended high school in Texas, and attended her first years of college in Alaska. After experiencing the beauty of the Northern Lights, she began writing what she calls her bad poetry phase. Before becoming a professional writer (of fiction, not poetry), she worked as an ice cream scooper, a lifeguard, a swim coach, and a pastry chef. Living in different places and working different jobs influenced her writing. She went to grad school twice. The first time, she earned a degree in library science (YAY!) and the second time she studied creative writing. Her studies enabled her to combine her love of books with her creativity, and hence, we now get to read her novels. The Cupcake Queen is her first solo book.
Hepler currently resides in Tyler, Texas with her son and a variety of pets including two Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. Hepler enjoys visiting classrooms, libraries, book stores, and book clubs. Her website offers a pdf of instructions how to host a “Cupcake Day” with or without her being there. She also keeps a blog as a way of sharing her culinary creativity.
Heather Hepler’s website:
Heather Hepler’s Blog, In the Crazy Kitchen:
For more information about Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (I know I needed to look them up), please visit this National Geographic site:
Genre
Young Adult Fiction
Chick Lit
Moving
Family problems
High School
Family problems
High School
Romance
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Book Talking Ideas
How would you feel if you were forced to move from a place you loved to a place you hated? How do you make new friends? What makes cupcakes so popular?
Reading Level/ Interest Age
Protagonist is 14 and in high school; appropriate for ages 13 and up
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why did I include this title?
I judged a book by its cover. I’ll admit it. Who can resist a leaning tower of pink-frosted cupcakes? I put it on my Wish List when the Scholastic Book Fair arrived in our MPR, and a sweet student named Kristi gave it to me. This book combines two of my favorite things: cupcakes and New York City. It’s an entertaining read.
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