by Claudia Mills (Author) Grace Zong (Illustrator)
Third graders Nixie Ness and Grace Kenny have been best friends since they were two-years-old. They have always spent every afternoon after school at Nixie's house until Nixie's mom announces that she has a job, which means she won't be there to watch the girls after school, which means Nixie will have to go to the after-school program and Grace will be spending her afternoons at their classmate, Elyse's, house.
Nixie begrudgingly starts the after-school program, joining the cooking camp. And it turns out that the other children at cooking camp are nice, and the recipes they make are delicious. But Nixie can't really enjoy being an after-school superstar until she finds a way to overcome her jealousy about Grace and Elyse's budding friendship.
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In the sugar-dusted opening scene of this engaging series debut, Nixie Ness observes that "the only thing better than baking cupcakes was baking cupcakes on a Friday afternoon with your best friend in the whole world." Mills (the Franklin School Friends series) spices things up with a turn of events that rocks Nixie's sweet world. Her mother starts a new job, and her best friend Grace (whose parents work outside the home) is now spending afternoons not with Nixie, but at the house of another third grader, Elyse (who has an adorable new pet). Nixie's response to this news captures her theatrical flair: "Elyse's house? With Elyse and her kitten?" Nixie begrudgingly attends an after-school cooking camp, where she masterminds botched plans to win Grace back. Mitigating that drama is Nixie's deepening rapport with three fellow cooking campers--perfectionist Vera, brainy Nolan, and cut-up Boogie--who expand her definition of friendship and her appreciation of differences. Zong's (Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas) fetching cover illustration of sloppy chef Nixie is an auspicious foreshadowing of the final interior art, not seen by PW. A recipe concludes. Ages 7-10. (June)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Gr 2-5—Third grade comes to an abrupt halt when Nixie Ness is forced to attend the after-school program because her mother is going back to work. What will happen to all the memorable afternoons Nixie was going to spend with her BFF Grace? Unfortunately, Grace cannot attend the after-school program, and, to Nixie's dismay, she will be spending time with another classmate, Elyse, and her cuddly kitten. Although Nixie attends the program reluctantly, she eventually finds she is capable of making new friends. Cooking Camp turns out to be a blast, and Nixie surprises herself by opening up to new possibilities. Vera, Boogie Bass, and Nolan turn out to be reliable friends, ones Nixie would probably not have bothered to get to know if she hadn't been a part of the camp. Nixie also realizes that Elyse is not out to steal Grace away from her and finds contentment in knowing that friendship comes in many varieties. VERDICT Young readers will easily relate to this wholesome look at early friendships and conflicts.—Martha Rico, Yselta ISD, TX
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.