Have You Read #9

Five years ago I read aloud Joan Bauer's Rules of the Road to my sons. It remains one of our favorites for numerous reasons, so when I notice a new release from her, I always read it.

Close to Famous was released last month, and the cover alone made captivated me! A young baker is wearing an apron with a shooting star and is holding a plate of cupcakes baked in bright liners. That baker, Foster Akilah McFee, influenced me to try a new recipe this morning: cherry cupcakes (from King Arthur).

Literacy and baking - two things I highly value in life - feature prominently in this novel. Foster and her mom hit the road after a less-than-desirable run-in with her mom's Elvis-impersonator boyfriend and end up in Culpepper, West Virginia. Despite their quick departure, the sixth-grade Foster brought her handy Bake and Take cupcake carrier with her, as well as the many recipes she has committed to memory (a necessary process since she cannot read). To dispel her frustrations and sadness, Foster bakes. She shares her butterscotch muffins and chocolate cupcakes and eventually sells them at Angry Wayne's, a restaurant in town. Batch by batch, she talks through her process, wishing she could have a Food Network show to share the potential "make the world a better place, one cupcake at a time." Her secret illiterate life becomes public when she assists a famous actress (who came home to Culpepper) who hid her own illiteracy the same way Foster did. Soon, many of the people who care about her are helping her learn to read.

Readers will love this book, despite some of the outrageous scenes sprinkled throughout the story. They will ponder like I have that title and the many ways it is perfect for this book.