I really like Sara Varon’s graphic novels.  They are emotional, a little melancholy but most of all, really good.  Bake Sale is very popular in my library.  I have a lot of cooks and bakers at my school, so I think Bake Sale’s appeal extends beyond the very sweet (sorry) story of friendship to the recipes throughout the book.

Cupcake owns a bake shop in New York City.  He has a best friend named Eggplant and plays drums in a band with his friends.  He loves baking and playing in the marching band.  Eggplant tells him that he is going to visit his aunt Aubergine in Turkey.  His aunt Aubergine knows Turkish Delight, the famous baker.  Turkish Delight is Cupcake’s baking idol. Eggplant invites Cupcake to come along to Turkey so that he can meet Turkish Delight.  Cupcake doesn’t have the money for his plane ticket.  At Eggplant’s urging, Cupcake quits his band and works lots extra hours creating new recipes and selling his baked goods all over New York City so that he can save up all his money to buy a ticket to Turkey.  I love Cupcake’s entrepreneurial spirit.  He sells little marzipan dogs and cats outside to sell at St. John the Baptist Cathedral for St. Francis of Assisi Day, dog biscuits for the Westminster Dog Show and heart-shaped peppermint brownies for Valentine’s Day.  Finally, Cupcake saves up enough for his ticket to Turkey so that he can meet Turkish Delight.  Sadly, Eggplant loses his job and can no go to Turkey.

What happens next? Read and find out how this great story ends.  I loved it.

This book was a Junior Library Guild selection.