scostner's review against another edition
4.0
Willow and her cousin Delia are fourth-graders. They both believe they are too old to be flower girls for their aunt's wedding, especially since they have to wear bubblegum pink dresses that they hate. (I can't blame them. At least when I was a flower girl I wore an icy blue dress.) What they really want to do is help to make the food for the wedding reception. But when they arrive at the vacation house where their families are staying for the week, everything begins to go wrong. The owner of the house has hired a chef to do the cooking; the girls keep trying to help her, but disaster strikes every time. Added to that, Willow's little brother, Sweet William, collects wild animals and brings them in the house as pets, their dog eats some of the appetizers for the big day, everyone keeps telling them how ADORABLE they will look in the awful dresses, and someone is stealing veggies from the garden. What else will happen? (I can't really tell you without ruining the ending.)
The characters are so amusing, especially Grandpa with his flower jokes and Sweet William who misunderstands and mispronounces everything. For instance, William practices growling because he is going to be the "ring bear" in the wedding (rather than ring bearer). Besides the drama of the wedding and the hideous dresses, there are also snotty older sisters to deal with, Delia's dad has lost his job due to budget cutbacks, and the new chef may have to sell her family's home if she can't get her catering business off the ground. There's plenty of action all packed into one week's vacation.
Readers who enjoy stories about best friends like Ivy + Bean should feel right at home with Willow and Delia. And anyone who is an aspiring cook will enjoy the recipes that are included for each of the girls' kitchen projects.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The characters are so amusing, especially Grandpa with his flower jokes and Sweet William who misunderstands and mispronounces everything. For instance, William practices growling because he is going to be the "ring bear" in the wedding (rather than ring bearer). Besides the drama of the wedding and the hideous dresses, there are also snotty older sisters to deal with, Delia's dad has lost his job due to budget cutbacks, and the new chef may have to sell her family's home if she can't get her catering business off the ground. There's plenty of action all packed into one week's vacation.
Readers who enjoy stories about best friends like Ivy + Bean should feel right at home with Willow and Delia. And anyone who is an aspiring cook will enjoy the recipes that are included for each of the girls' kitchen projects.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016/comments_04/cupcake_cousins.html
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
2.0
Cousins Willow and Delia can’t stand the thought of wearing the ugly pink flower girl dresses their aunt Rosie has picked out for her wedding. They’d much rather be junior bridesmaids like their older sisters, or better yet, bake something to be served at the reception. Figuring their talents will be recognized if they show off their skills, the girls keep trying new things in the kitchen only to cause disaster after disaster.
This gentle family story conveys all the excitement - both good and bad - that comes with major family celebrations. The two central characters, though sometimes bratty, behave believably for their age, and their adventures in the kitchen are funny and relatable. Recipes at the end of each chapter provide an easy tie-in activity for readers to enjoy, and though the ending might be too neat and happy for adult readers, it is likely to please readers in grades 2 to 5. The illustrations by Brooke Boynton Hughes (some of which were not final in the ARC edition) perfectly match the sweetness of the story, and they appropriately package the book for the age group most likely to enjoy it.
Character names like Sweet William and Agapanthus are noticeably out of place in the story, and would be the subject of much more ridicule in real life. Cupcakes also don’t figure as heavily into the plot as the title suggests, which implies that this title was chosen solely so that this book could ride the coattails of the recent cupcake fad. The girls’ professional-level baking abilities also seem highly unlikely, and they contradict the characters’ otherwise childish behavior.
This title will easily find an audience among fans of the popular Cupcake Diaries and Cupcake Club series. It is the kind of book that will frequently be called “cute," but which will be forgotten in favor of a new fad in a few years' time.
This gentle family story conveys all the excitement - both good and bad - that comes with major family celebrations. The two central characters, though sometimes bratty, behave believably for their age, and their adventures in the kitchen are funny and relatable. Recipes at the end of each chapter provide an easy tie-in activity for readers to enjoy, and though the ending might be too neat and happy for adult readers, it is likely to please readers in grades 2 to 5. The illustrations by Brooke Boynton Hughes (some of which were not final in the ARC edition) perfectly match the sweetness of the story, and they appropriately package the book for the age group most likely to enjoy it.
Character names like Sweet William and Agapanthus are noticeably out of place in the story, and would be the subject of much more ridicule in real life. Cupcakes also don’t figure as heavily into the plot as the title suggests, which implies that this title was chosen solely so that this book could ride the coattails of the recent cupcake fad. The girls’ professional-level baking abilities also seem highly unlikely, and they contradict the characters’ otherwise childish behavior.
This title will easily find an audience among fans of the popular Cupcake Diaries and Cupcake Club series. It is the kind of book that will frequently be called “cute," but which will be forgotten in favor of a new fad in a few years' time.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet book about cousins who get together in Michigan every year, this time for a wedding. It was a very contemporary family with contemporary issues though the illustrations made it look like girls from the 1950s. There were a lot of family members and I appreciated the list provided in the front of the book. Also, includes recipes all of which say "get help from an adult" even though the almost 10 year olds in this book never get help.
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