Mia in the Mix (Cupcake Diaries: The Graphic Novel #2)

Gr 3 Up--As Katie begins middle school, she is faced with some unexpected major changes. Her best friend, Callie, is suddenly her former best friend, having just joined a group called the Popular Girls Club. Katie soon forms a new group of friends, who decide to call themselves the Cupcake Club, since they all enjoy sharing cupcakes at lunch. A major focus of this series are the dynamics among the Cupcake Club girls--Katie, Mia, Emma, and Alexis--but since different volumes are narrated by different girls, readers also see into other aspects of their lives. In these first two volumes, readers explore Katie's relationships with her mother and Callie as well as Mia's struggle to fit in at her new school and her schedule conflicts as she splits her time between her divorced parents. The series builds empathy as it follows the highs and lows of new and old friendships. As each character goes through friendship drama that plays tug-of-war with her loyalties, readers will become invested in wanting each girl to find the balance she needs. This new graphic novel series is a smooth adaptation from the original series of novels. The artwork is bright and colorful, capturing the energy and emotion of the story. VERDICT These new books will be welcomed by fans of the original "Cupcake Club" series as well as by any tweens looking for sweet, but realistic, stories about kids trying to form lasting friendships.--Andrea Lipinski