Giveaway: Peace, Love, and Cupcakes Series by Sheryl and Carrie Berk

When you were a kid, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up? A published author? A baker? For ten-year-old Carrie Berk, both those dreams have already come true, thanks to a little help from her mother, Sheryl Berk.

Have you heard of the Peace, Love, and Cupcakes series for middle grade readers? I sure wish these books had been available when I was young or my niece was in fourth grade. I know both of us would have been big fans. Besides great characters and compelling plots, the books also contain recipes for yummy cupcakes. Now tell me, who wouldn't love to sit down with a good book and homemade cupcakes?

The series begins when Kylie is just starting fourth grade in a brand new school. As a way to make friends, she decides to start a cupcake club. Finding some girls who want to join isn't so much a problem but learning how to make peace with the class mean girl will take some thinking.

Each of the other three books focus on a different girl and a different common problem (accepting a new step-dad, trouble with math). The common thread among the books is the cupcake club and the interactions among the members. Side plots cover baking contests, the school play, sports, friendship, boys, and families.

Besides being at school and home, the four BFFs also spend time in the kitchen, fulfilling orders for their new business, getting ready for a competition, or coming up with new ideas. The cupcake club spotlights the strength of the girls' friendship and their mutual support, which are at the heart the series.

There is much to love about these books. Besides the good topics for discussion, awesome recipes, and likeable characters, young readers will be inspired by the fact that the books are co-written by someone just their age. The collaboration between Carrie and Sheryl means the dialog is authentic and the situations are believable.

Your young reader will fall for Kylie and her friends. But be prepared: You will definitely have some cupcake baking sessions in your future.

The Giveaway: To celebrate the publication of the newest book in the series, The Icing on the Cake, and thanks to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, I can offer one of my readers with a U.S. mailing address all four books in this darling (and tasty) series. All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to fill out the following form. I'll pick a winner on September 6 using a random number generator. Once the winner has been confirmed, I'll erase all personal data from my computer. Good luck!