Spring reading 2014 Cupcake Cousins

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. It will be published on May 13, 2014.