Simon, Coco. Emily’s Cupcake Magic! (Cupcake Diaries: The New Batch). Illustrator: Manuela Lopez. Simon Spotlight, 2024. 978-1-665-94911-8. 91 p. $17.99. 2-4.

Cupcake alert!  This new “junior fiction” chapter series from the creator of the original Cupcake Diaries series will be a hit with younger readers. Emily, Natalie, Ren, and Alana meet up when their schools merge unexpectedly. Emily shares her time between her mom’s house and her dad’s house. Katie, from the original series, is Emily’s step-sister. She helps Emily adjust to her new school by packing her lunch and giving her a cupcake to share at lunch to help make new friends. When her principal announces a baking contest, Emily and her new friends team up to bake the best cupcake ever, with some help from Katie and the original Cupcake Club.

THOUGHTS: This new series should be a big hit in my library. My students love the newer CD graphic novels. I plan on pulling out and showcasing the good old CD books along with new series for the younger set.

Realistic Fiction
Junior Fiction