MARCH 2012: Close to Famous by Joan Bauer - A great book for Middle School readers!

"The last place I thought I'd be when this day began is where I am, which is in a car.  Mama's car to be exact and she's driving headstrong through downtown Memphis with an Elvis impersonator on our tail."  Foster McFee pg. 1 Close to Famous

Foster and her mom had packed the important stuff up as fast as they could and drove until they reached the small West Virginia town of Culpepper, where maybe they would try to make a new life away from the teachers and students who put Foster down and her mom's Elvis impersonating ex-boyfriend.  But there doesn't seem to be much in Culpepper, and Foster wonders if her dream of someday having her own cooking show is slowly slipping away.  Through an oddly mixed cast of characters, which includes a famous actress and an escaped prisoner, Foster and her mom get the friendship and support they need to be happy and begin to truly live their dreams.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer will make you laugh, cry and want to bake cupcakes!  Visit the author's website (www.joanbauer.com) to find a few of the cupcake recipes from the book, including Sonny's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes, which got a thumbs up from the Barberton Children's Librarians.
Sonny's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcake