Cupcake    by Charise Mericle Harper Order:  USA  Can Hyperion, 2010 (2010) Hardcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch No one likes to be called plain, but that's exactly what I am - a plain vanilla cupcake. All my brothers and sisters were decorated with frosting and other goodies when they came out of the oven. At first I felt OK about being the plain one, but then I noticed all my siblings were picked by people. Eventually there I was, the only cupcake left on a big plate. What a bummer! I began to cry and then a noticed a little, plain, green, birthday candle standing next to me. 'What's wrong?' he asked. 'I'm just vanilla. I'm not fancy! I'm just plain and white and ordinary,' I replied. 'I know how you feel,' said Candle. He then shared his situation about being part of a family of fancy candles. After he finished, both of us just sat there feeling sorry for ourselves. Then Candle got an idea. He's pretty bright, you see. He suggested we find a really special topping for me. We tried small pickles, swirly spaghetti, pancakes, an egg and even stinky cheese. None of these things (especially a squirrel!) really worked very well. Finally, Candle jumped up on my frosted head and guess what? That felt just right! I know what you are thinking about this story. How can a cupcake and candle talk? Well, that's not much different than rabbits, cats, and dolphins that carry on conversations is it? I think you'll really enjoy my story, especially when I try on some pretty crazy things to jazz up my appearance. Also, there's a real recipe for making cupcakes and whipping up a batch of frosting at the end of the book. So after reading my story, you can decorate your own cupcakes. Now that's really a cool idea! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews