Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon

Holm, J.L. & Holm, M. (2010). Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.

Plot Summary:
Letting her imagination run rampant in her school library, Babymouse imagines she is on an adventure, scaling a wall to find the lost cupcake. It is only when she falls off of the book shelf and breaks the sprinkler pipe on her way down that Babymouse comes out of her daydream. The school decides to hold a fundraiser to pay for the water damage in the library. Babymouse hates fundraisers, but this one involves selling cupcakes, her favorite! Determined to receive the mysterious grand prize for selling the most cupcakes, Babymouse gets to work. It seems that everyone has already either bought a cupcake from one of her classmates, or they're not interested. Determined to win that prize (instead of focusing on the money she will raise to repair the damage to the library) Babymouse comes up with plan after plan to outsell her classmates. It is in a dream that she finally realizes the plan that will win her the grand prize, a cupcake stand.

Review:
This is a really fun little graphic novel. Babymouse is a hilariously self-obsessed imaginative young mouse, full of mischief. She gets herself into funny situations through her bouts of daydreaming. The narrator is equally funny, with wise quips which knock Babymouse down from her self-absorbed tirades. This is the first Babymouse graphic novel I have read, but I'm sure they are all equally funny and quick little reads. These would be a great way to introduce young tweens into graphic novels, I think a lot of girls would enjoy reading about Babymouse and her adventures. The illustrations are a little harried, which works well with Babymouse's character and adventures.

Genre:
graphic novel

Reading Level:
Ages 8 - 12

Subjects/Themes:
fundraisers

Series Information:
This is book 13 of the Babymouse series

Character Names/Descriptions:
Babymouse: imaginative girl mouse; accident prone
Narrator: adds witty and sarcastic commentary to the story

Annotation:
After Babymouse wrecks her school library during a particularly dramatic daydream, she struggles to raise money to repair the damage by selling cupcakes.