READY, SET, DOUGH!

An aspiring journalist raises funds for a new computer.

The family computer keeps crashing while Zoe attempts to finish writing a feature for the school paper, but her parents are indifferent. Money is tight, and buying a new computer is the last thing on their minds. What’s an enterprising young writer to do? Then she sees it, the solution to all her problems: a cookie dough–selling contest at her school. The winner gets a brand-new Horizon WordPro GT laptop. What starts out as an earnest quest to outsell her rival turns into a desperate race to sell, sell, sell. When Zoe attempts to reach out to relatives, including one who turns out to be dead, Mom steps in to slow her down. But the owner of the flower shop where Mom works allows Zoe to sell cookie dough there in exchange for working after school during their Valentine’s Day rush. Zoe finds herself on a roller-coaster ride of trials and tribulations. Baptist does a great job of building suspense. Though the first half of the book feels a bit slower, once the momentum picks up, readers will be hooked. This tale of entrepreneurialism run amok isn’t new, but it is fun. Readers will root for Zoe while relating to the exasperation of those around her. Zoe and her family are cued Black.

A funny, heartfelt romp, with a charming protagonist at its heart.