September 4, 2023
Kentwood Academy sixth grader Zoe, an aspiring journalist, dreams of owning a Horizon WordPro GT laptop. Her parents aren’t in a position to buy her an expensive device, however, so she splits her time between the computers at the library and her older brother’s friend’s house to crank out her column for the school’s paper. When Kentwood’s Spring fundraiser rolls around—during which students sell cookie dough to help fund their extracurriculars and win prizes—Zoe realizes that one of the fundraising rewards is a WordPro. She persuades her best friend Felix to help her come up with ideas to win the competition, but selling cookie dough isn’t easy—especially when the competition, privileged classmate Amaya, has access to her affluent family’s connections to drive sales. Zoe becomes laser-focused on achieving her goals, and uses any opportunity to sell cookie dough, even if it means missing family and friends’ important milestones or putting herself in potentially dangerous situations. Baptist explores themes of class and wealth disparity through Zoe’s stubbornly determined first-person POV, and enriches the narrative with distinct and unforgettably rendered characters. Protagonists are racially diverse. Ages 8–10.
September 1, 2023
Gr 4-6-The premise of Baptist's latest will be familiar to all middle grade readers. Zoe, a highly motivated Black girl in sixth grade, has set her sights on selling the most cookie dough in her all-school fundraiser. As an aspiring journalist with computer problems, she wants to claim the campus top-seller prize, a laptop computer, and has plenty of competition to keep her busy. Zoe must learn to keep her fiercely competitive personality in check and remember that people and relationships are more important than winning a contest, even though she sees it as beneficial to her family in the long run. Middle grade readers will enjoy Zoe's quick comebacks and witty banter with her best friend, Felix, and her older brother, Mark. Baptist crafts a spunky, focused female character who has tons of drive, great goals, and funny insight. The book ends as expected and exemplifies the mindset that goals are always achievable if one works hard-which may not be completely realistic but makes for a fun read. This title will appeal to readers who enjoy books with confident, empowered female protagonists like Kelly Yang's Front Desk and Janae Marks's From the Desk of Zoe Washington, and also to reluctant readers who enjoy a succinct, tight story. VERDICT A fun, relatable realistic fiction title recommended for all middle grade readers and collections.-Kim Gardner
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2023
Sixth grader Zoe dreams of becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, but her family's unreliable old computer is cramping her style. She has her sights set on the Horizon WordPro GT laptop, and since her parents won't buy one for her, she takes matters into her own hands. A school fundraiser offers Zoe the perfect opportunity: top prize for selling the most tubs of cookie dough is, in fact, the Horizon WordPro GT. Determined to walk away with the computer and defeat her nemesis, Zoe is laser-focused on winning and will do whatever it takes to come out on top -- even if it tests her relationship with her best friend. Zoe's experiences are relatable; her passion for both her short- and long-term goals is believably conveyed. Baptist uses humor to explore themes of navigating family, school, and community; this story will resonate with anyone who has dreamed of winning big. Monique Harris
(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
September 15, 2023
Grades 3-6 Sixth-grader Zoe Sparks is on a mission to sell more cookie dough than anyone else at her school and win the coveted Horizon WordPro GT, the laptop of her dreams. Zoe is an aspiring journalist, but her family can't afford a new computer. With the help of her best friend, Felix, Zoe sets out to sell enough tubs of dough to win the contest and outsell her classmate, Amaya, whose family already has enough money to buy her a new computer. Zoe becomes consumed with reaching her goal, and it comes at a cost. She must take on the responsibility of managing all the orders and money, which she fumbles, and deal with the strain that her tunnel vision puts on her family and friends. It's enough to make anyone hate cookie dough. Partially inspired by Baptist's own experiences with school fundraisers, Zoe's story has some rousing moments--like when her community rallies to help her sales--and touches on the necessity of school fundraisers in the first place.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
October 1, 2023
An aspiring journalist raises funds for a new computer. The family computer keeps crashing while Zoe attempts to finish writing a feature for the school paper, but her parents are indifferent. Money is tight, and buying a new computer is the last thing on their minds. What's an enterprising young writer to do? Then she sees it, the solution to all her problems: a cookie dough-selling contest at her school. The winner gets a brand-new Horizon WordPro GT laptop. What starts out as an earnest quest to outsell her rival turns into a desperate race to sell, sell, sell. When Zoe attempts to reach out to relatives, including one who turns out to be dead, Mom steps in to slow her down. But the owner of the flower shop where Mom works allows Zoe to sell cookie dough there in exchange for working after school during their Valentine's Day rush. Zoe finds herself on a roller-coaster ride of trials and tribulations. Baptist does a great job of building suspense. Though the first half of the book feels a bit slower, once the momentum picks up, readers will be hooked. This tale of entrepreneurialism run amok isn't new, but it is fun. Readers will root for Zoe while relating to the exasperation of those around her. Zoe and her family are cued Black. A funny, heartfelt romp, with a charming protagonist at its heart. (Fiction. 8-11)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2024
Sixth grader Zoe dreams of becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, but her family's unreliable old computer is cramping her style. She has her sights set on the Horizon WordPro GT laptop, and since her parents won't buy one for her, she takes matters into her own hands. A school fundraiser offers Zoe the perfect opportunity: top prize for selling the most tubs of cookie dough is, in fact, the Horizon WordPro GT. Determined to walk away with the computer and defeat her nemesis, Zoe is laser-focused on winning and will do whatever it takes to come out on top -- even if it tests her relationship with her best friend. Zoe's experiences are relatable; her passion for both her short- and long-term goals is believably conveyed. Baptist uses humor to explore themes of navigating family, school, and community; this story will resonate with anyone who has dreamed of winning big.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)