Book Review: CUPCAKE COUSINS by Kate Hannigan

CUPCAKE COUSINS by fellow OneFour KidLit author, Kate Hannigan, is an adorably fun middle grade novel, perfect for summer reading.

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Every summer, nine-year-old cousins Willow and Delia look forward to their vacation at Lake Michigan with their families: a whole week of catching fireflies, picking peaches in the orchards and boogie boarding in the lake together. But the best part is that they always get to take over the kitchen to cook up mouthwatering treats for everyone.

This year, the family vacation will be extra special, because Aunt Rosie is getting married, and everyone will be a part of the big day. Unfortunately, she wants Willow and Delia to wear ugly, pink dresses and be flower girls for the ceremony. And they're much too old for that. But if they can show everyone how amazing their cooking skills are, they're sure to convince Aunt Rosie to put them in charge of the wedding reception refreshments instead, right?

Willow and Delia are best friends who are nothing alike but perfectly matched. Willow is a big dreamer, great at coming up with fabulous and adventurous ideas. Delia is a planner who can find practical ways to make Willow's schemes happen. But even Willow's big ideas and Delia's logical plans might not be enough to overcome exploding blenders and a cranky new head chef.

I loved getting to know these adorable cupcake cousins. (They remind me so much of myself and my cousin/best friend, when we were younger!) And the recipes sprinkled throughout the story ... Yum!

What's Your Superpower?

Emily Lloyd-Jones' debut novel, ILLUSIVE, releases next week (July 15th), and to celebrate, she's asked, If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

For me, it would definitely be the ability to fly. I've always wanted to experience that weightless, free-as-a-bird feeling of soaring through the clouds. I'd love to give gravity the slip and leave the cares of the world below me. Whenever I travel, if flying is an option, that's the one I'll choose, and I always want to sit by the window, so I can watch the clouds pass by below me and pretend I'm Supergirl.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? Why? Leave a comment below and let me know! Then, go check out ILLUSIVE (preorder links are below).

The X-Men meets Ocean's Eleven in this edge-of-your-seat sci-fi adventure about a band of "super" criminals.

When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She's what's known as an illusionist...She's also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn't?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against he government that could cost them their lives.

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Emily Lloyd-Jones grew up on a vineyard in rural Oregon, where she played in evergreen forests and learned to fear sheep. After graduating from Western Oregon University with an English degree, she enrolled in the publishing program at Rosemont College just outside of Philadelphia. She currently resides in Northern California, working in a bookstore by day and writing by night.