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Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets
When eleven-year-old Jeremy Bender does major damage to his father's prized boat, he figures he has one way to avoid being grounded for Fix it before Dad finds out. But even if Jeremy and his best friend, Slater, combined their allowances for a year, they still wouldn't have enough money for the cost of repairs. Inspiration strikes when the boys see an ad for the Windjammer Whirl. Sponsored by the Cupcake Cadets, the model sailboat race pays five hundred dollars to the winner. There's just one You must be a Cadet—and a girl—to compete. Confident that it will be the easiest money they've ever made, Jeremy convinces Slater they should dress up like girls and infiltrate the troop. But as the boys proceed to botch everything from camping to field hockey, they realize that being a Cadet is no piece of cupcake. Can Jeremy and Slater earn their badges and win the money? Or will their Cupcake careers be over faster than you can say "vanilla frosting"?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 1, 2018
This book is very funny, it is about a boy is trying to get money and dresses up and acts like a girl in girl scouts. Read on to laugh as hard as you could.
May 9, 2011
When I read this, I couldn't stop myself from comparing Jeremy & his buddy Slater to Lucy & Ethel (I LOVE LUCY). After damaging his father's boat, Jeremy has to come up with an idea to raise some money fast. He talks his friend Slater into dressing up as a girl and joining the Cupcake Cadets and entering their annual Windjammer Whirl for a chance to win $500. Like with Lucy & Ethel, Jeremy's plans nearly never turn out as he expects which makes for quite a few mistakes and laughs and maybe even a few lessons learned along the way.
February 27, 2013
A; Junior fiction fantasy about 2 boys who scheme a plan to win $$ for repairs they caused on a parent's prized boat. The plan it to join the Cupcake Cadets, an all girl club, and win their Windjammer Whirl competition. The boys learn it's not all vanilla frosting and girls are tough.
May 30, 2018
When Jeremy accidentally ruins the engine of his dad's boat, he and his best friend, Slater, go under cover as Cupcake Cadets in order to enter a cash-prize contest. But the boys quickly realize that being a cadet will require a lot more than a uniform and memorizing baking-themed pledges.
Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets has all the comedy and misadventure promised by the premise, and then some. Uniforms, dodging bullies, mantras, gut-busting cupcakes, and heated rivalries provide plenty of hilarious obstacles as Jeremy and Slater clumsily navigate the complicated world of girls without being outed.
I really enjoyed Jeremy Bender. Wholesome themes like teamwork, girl power, friendship, and business ventures are explored with sincerity and lighthearted humor. The characters are endearing and memorable. I'd happily re-read this one.
Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets has all the comedy and misadventure promised by the premise, and then some. Uniforms, dodging bullies, mantras, gut-busting cupcakes, and heated rivalries provide plenty of hilarious obstacles as Jeremy and Slater clumsily navigate the complicated world of girls without being outed.
I really enjoyed Jeremy Bender. Wholesome themes like teamwork, girl power, friendship, and business ventures are explored with sincerity and lighthearted humor. The characters are endearing and memorable. I'd happily re-read this one.
February 18, 2019
Predictable but not a bad read.
December 19, 2016
Jeremy Bender is eleven years old, and he has a serious problem. He and his best friend, Slater, are working on his dad's boat when they aren't supposed to be, and next thing they know, it needs some pretty substantial repairs - to the tune of $470! Even if the boys pool their allowances, they know they don't have that much, so they start searching for other ways to bring in some cash. When an advertisement at the public library alerts them to a sailboat race sponsored by the Cupcake Cadets, they're thrilled by the possibility of a 500-dollar prize, but disappointed that they can't enter because they're not girls. Desperate and determined, Jeremy decides they will pose as girls, infiltrate the Cadets, and win the prize. But being a Cupcake Cadet is nowhere near as easy as it sounds, and the boys have to jump through many hoops before they can even enter the contest.
I am not usually crazy about stories where boys disguise themselves as girls or vice versa, because I don't find them very believable, and that annoys me. But I really enjoyed Eric Luper's YA novel, Seth Baumgartner's Love Manifesto, and decided it would be worth braving the possible pitfalls of the plot to read some more of his work. I was right. Eric Luper is a master of "buddy comedy" stories. Like Seth Baumgartner and his best friend, Dimitri, Jeremy and Slater have a humorous rapport. Their dialogue comes right off the page, bringing the characters to life, and investing the reader in their success. Luper has a great understanding of friendship between middle school boys, and also does a great job of portraying the logic that leads the eleven-year-old mind to do some pretty unusual things.
I also thought this book explored a lot of interesting gender issues without being preachy or overly obvious about it. It was great to see a couple of boys who aren't especially sporty thrown in with a group of girls who play lacrosse very aggressively, for example. This book turns a lot of gender stereotypes on their heads, and plays with them a bit, giving the reader a lot to laugh - and think - about.
I was also thrilled to see that this book has a librarian in it who is not a walking, talking cliche. I get so tired of seeing fictional librarians saying "shush" or refusing to help kids, or kicking them out for talking. Yes, it happens, but it's not very interesting to read about, and often it adds nothing to the story. The librarian in this book, Ms. Morrison, is actually three-dimensional. She talks to Slater and Jeremy like they're people with minds of their own, and even confides in them a little bit about some library politics vis a vis teens and making noise in the library.
Here's just one little snippet of a library scene:
Ms. Morrison propped her feet on the lower shelf of the book cart. Her fuzzy rainbow socks looked like twin puppets. "What do I know about windjammers?" she said. "I'm just a children's librarian. Anyhow, I've got troubles of my own."
"What sort of trouble does a children's librarian have?" Slater asked. "Isn't it all cats wearing hats and boy wizards with facial scars?"
That cracked me up, mostly because I think plenty of people have that attitude, including lots of eleven year old boys.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander or Liar Liar and Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen. All are about boys looking to make money, and all deal with friendships among adolescent boys. It's also a good one to recommend to girls, particularly girl scouts, who will undoubtedly get a kick out of the idea of boys trying to secretly join their troop.
I am not usually crazy about stories where boys disguise themselves as girls or vice versa, because I don't find them very believable, and that annoys me. But I really enjoyed Eric Luper's YA novel, Seth Baumgartner's Love Manifesto, and decided it would be worth braving the possible pitfalls of the plot to read some more of his work. I was right. Eric Luper is a master of "buddy comedy" stories. Like Seth Baumgartner and his best friend, Dimitri, Jeremy and Slater have a humorous rapport. Their dialogue comes right off the page, bringing the characters to life, and investing the reader in their success. Luper has a great understanding of friendship between middle school boys, and also does a great job of portraying the logic that leads the eleven-year-old mind to do some pretty unusual things.
I also thought this book explored a lot of interesting gender issues without being preachy or overly obvious about it. It was great to see a couple of boys who aren't especially sporty thrown in with a group of girls who play lacrosse very aggressively, for example. This book turns a lot of gender stereotypes on their heads, and plays with them a bit, giving the reader a lot to laugh - and think - about.
I was also thrilled to see that this book has a librarian in it who is not a walking, talking cliche. I get so tired of seeing fictional librarians saying "shush" or refusing to help kids, or kicking them out for talking. Yes, it happens, but it's not very interesting to read about, and often it adds nothing to the story. The librarian in this book, Ms. Morrison, is actually three-dimensional. She talks to Slater and Jeremy like they're people with minds of their own, and even confides in them a little bit about some library politics vis a vis teens and making noise in the library.
Here's just one little snippet of a library scene:
Ms. Morrison propped her feet on the lower shelf of the book cart. Her fuzzy rainbow socks looked like twin puppets. "What do I know about windjammers?" she said. "I'm just a children's librarian. Anyhow, I've got troubles of my own."
"What sort of trouble does a children's librarian have?" Slater asked. "Isn't it all cats wearing hats and boy wizards with facial scars?"
That cracked me up, mostly because I think plenty of people have that attitude, including lots of eleven year old boys.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander or Liar Liar and Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen. All are about boys looking to make money, and all deal with friendships among adolescent boys. It's also a good one to recommend to girls, particularly girl scouts, who will undoubtedly get a kick out of the idea of boys trying to secretly join their troop.
December 28, 2011
As posted on Outside of a Dog:
When I was a kid, there was a Rodney Dangerfield movie called Ladybugs, in which a teen boy (played by the late Jonathan Brandis) pretends to be a girl to play on an all girls' soccer team. There were cross-dressing jokes a plenty and some gender confusion when Matthew (posing as Martha) gets a crush on one of his/her teammates. For some reason, I loved this movie as a kid. I only mention this, because all the warm feelings I had for it came rushing back when I read Eric Luper's fantastically funny book, Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets. I laughed at the same kind of jokes and enjoyed a similar gender bending adventure.
Jeremy Bender is your average guy. A little bit geeked out boating, a little bit picked on in school, and a little bit picked on by his older sister, Ruthie. Then one day, disaster strikes when, while working on his father's prize boat, he accidentally does some damage to the engine. Rather than admit his mistake, Jeremy formulates a plan to enter the Windjammer Whirl, win the $500 prize and repair the boat before anyone's the wiser. The catch? The Windjammer Whirl is for Cupcake Cadets only, and if there's one rule in the Cupcake Cadets handbook, it's No Boys Allowed. This isn't about to stop Jeremy, however, and he convinces his best friend Slater to go along with his scheme to pose as Cupcake Cadets to win the money. A couple of skirted uniforms later, "Jenna" and "Samantha" have entered a local troupe and start causing trouble wherever they go. They can't earn badges, can't pitch a tent, and can't seem to unload the eponymous cupcakes on the local populace. What are two guys-dressed-as-girls supposed to do, especially when one Cupcake Cadet gets too close to discovering their secret?
I chuckled a lot while reading Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets, and not all the humor is derived from having boys in wigs and skirts parading around town. Jeremy is a naturally humorous character, and his humor is drawn from a very believable boy place. There's a lot here about the difference between boys and girls (the scenes between Jeremy and sister Ruthie are a perfect example of these, and all very, very funny), and Luper knows how to play the line, making the book relatable to both boys and girls, which is a tricky thing to do. This book is an easy recommendation for fans of Wimpy Kid (something of which I'm always in need) and funny gals like Judy Moody and Ramona. I know Luper typically writes for a young adult audience, but I'm very interested in seeing what else he's got for the middle grade crowd, because he sure knows how to play to it.
When I was a kid, there was a Rodney Dangerfield movie called Ladybugs, in which a teen boy (played by the late Jonathan Brandis) pretends to be a girl to play on an all girls' soccer team. There were cross-dressing jokes a plenty and some gender confusion when Matthew (posing as Martha) gets a crush on one of his/her teammates. For some reason, I loved this movie as a kid. I only mention this, because all the warm feelings I had for it came rushing back when I read Eric Luper's fantastically funny book, Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets. I laughed at the same kind of jokes and enjoyed a similar gender bending adventure.
Jeremy Bender is your average guy. A little bit geeked out boating, a little bit picked on in school, and a little bit picked on by his older sister, Ruthie. Then one day, disaster strikes when, while working on his father's prize boat, he accidentally does some damage to the engine. Rather than admit his mistake, Jeremy formulates a plan to enter the Windjammer Whirl, win the $500 prize and repair the boat before anyone's the wiser. The catch? The Windjammer Whirl is for Cupcake Cadets only, and if there's one rule in the Cupcake Cadets handbook, it's No Boys Allowed. This isn't about to stop Jeremy, however, and he convinces his best friend Slater to go along with his scheme to pose as Cupcake Cadets to win the money. A couple of skirted uniforms later, "Jenna" and "Samantha" have entered a local troupe and start causing trouble wherever they go. They can't earn badges, can't pitch a tent, and can't seem to unload the eponymous cupcakes on the local populace. What are two guys-dressed-as-girls supposed to do, especially when one Cupcake Cadet gets too close to discovering their secret?
I chuckled a lot while reading Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets, and not all the humor is derived from having boys in wigs and skirts parading around town. Jeremy is a naturally humorous character, and his humor is drawn from a very believable boy place. There's a lot here about the difference between boys and girls (the scenes between Jeremy and sister Ruthie are a perfect example of these, and all very, very funny), and Luper knows how to play the line, making the book relatable to both boys and girls, which is a tricky thing to do. This book is an easy recommendation for fans of Wimpy Kid (something of which I'm always in need) and funny gals like Judy Moody and Ramona. I know Luper typically writes for a young adult audience, but I'm very interested in seeing what else he's got for the middle grade crowd, because he sure knows how to play to it.
November 12, 2012
A "sweet" book about determination, misconceptions and a little vanilla frosting.
Jeremy Bender loves boats. One day while trying to spruce up his dad's boat, he and his friend Slater accidentally ruin the engine. Too scared to tell his father, Jeremy decides to try to win $500 by joining The Cupcake Cadets and winning the $500 in the Windjammer Whirl. There is only one problem. The cadets are a girls-only organization. So the boys decide to dress up pretending to be Jenna and Samantha, two new cadets that no one knows because they are home-schooled.
The boys assume that being a cadet will be easy. How hard could it be if girls can do it right? They were so wrong. It is amusing to watch as the boys start to appreciate everything that girls can do after they spectacularly fail at most of the things they attempt. This includes ruining the camping trip and giving the troop food poisoning with their home baked pie. The boys begin to realize that even qualifying to enter the race may not be nearly as easy as they thought.
Jeremy and Slater are able to keep their cadet scheme a secret from family and school mates for a long time. Things become complicated as a fellow cadet discovers their secret and decides to blackmail them in return for not revealing their betrayal.
There is also a sub plot about a bully at school that keeps tormenting the boys. The bully happens to be the son of the Cupcake Cadet troop leader and is spending lot of time around Jenna and Samantha. The two disguised cadets bribe him with cupcakes so he will leave their "friends" Jeremy and Slater alone.
Readers will enjoy how this story unfolds and its sweet ending (pun intended). With its accessible text and constant humorous conflicts, Jeremy Bender will be most enjoyed by girls and boys in grades 3 through 5.
Jeremy Bender loves boats. One day while trying to spruce up his dad's boat, he and his friend Slater accidentally ruin the engine. Too scared to tell his father, Jeremy decides to try to win $500 by joining The Cupcake Cadets and winning the $500 in the Windjammer Whirl. There is only one problem. The cadets are a girls-only organization. So the boys decide to dress up pretending to be Jenna and Samantha, two new cadets that no one knows because they are home-schooled.
The boys assume that being a cadet will be easy. How hard could it be if girls can do it right? They were so wrong. It is amusing to watch as the boys start to appreciate everything that girls can do after they spectacularly fail at most of the things they attempt. This includes ruining the camping trip and giving the troop food poisoning with their home baked pie. The boys begin to realize that even qualifying to enter the race may not be nearly as easy as they thought.
Jeremy and Slater are able to keep their cadet scheme a secret from family and school mates for a long time. Things become complicated as a fellow cadet discovers their secret and decides to blackmail them in return for not revealing their betrayal.
There is also a sub plot about a bully at school that keeps tormenting the boys. The bully happens to be the son of the Cupcake Cadet troop leader and is spending lot of time around Jenna and Samantha. The two disguised cadets bribe him with cupcakes so he will leave their "friends" Jeremy and Slater alone.
Readers will enjoy how this story unfolds and its sweet ending (pun intended). With its accessible text and constant humorous conflicts, Jeremy Bender will be most enjoyed by girls and boys in grades 3 through 5.
January 11, 2024
Eleven-year-old Jeremy Bender wants to prove to his father that he is responsible in order to take the prized Cris-Craft boat out alone. Instead, he and his friend Slater accidentally spill Orange soda, and then green spray paint, all over the carburetor while attempting to tighten the belts. They don’t have enough money between them to replace it, and there is no way Jeremy is going to confess to his father. The boys are determined to find a way to raise enough money to replace the engine. When they hear about a model sailboat tournament with a $500 prize, the boys are convinced they can win it, especially since they’d be competing against the girls in the Cupcake Cadets. But to enter the race, you must be a Cupcake Cadet, have earned three badges and sold the required number of cupcakes. The boys think it will be a “cupcake walk” and agree to dress like girls to infiltrate the club. But selling cupcakes isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. Neither is earning badges. They lost the Pie-Making badge when their burnt apple pie made the troop sick. And the girls weren’t the ones to score a goal for the opposing team in field hockey, which cost them the Sports Star Calliber Badge. Their attempt to earn the Wilderness Survival Caliber Badge was a disaster from pitching the tent to finding out their tent-mate Margaret has won the Windjammer Whirl three years in-a-row and is working on her third prototype for this year’s vessel. They hadn’t even begun to build theirs yet. But worse than that is that they’ve been found out! Now how will they earn enough money to repair Jeremy's father's boat? This humorous story is recommended for readers in grades 3-6. Girls will appreciate that they perform better than boys in certain activities, while boys will get a lesson in what it's like to be a girl.
August 3, 2011
I was planning to just glance at this, but could not help reading "just one more chapter" to find out what would happen to these two guys.
REALLY funny--laugh-out-loud-and-read-parts-to-other-people funny. Jeremy messes up the engine of his dad's beloved Chris-Craft boat by spilling soda and paint on it. He and his best friend Slater decide that their only chance of earning the money is winning a lame balsa-wood boat race("The Windjammer Whirl")--but they have to be Cupcake Cadets (read Girls Scouts) to enter, AND they have to first sell a full quota of cupcakes and earn three Caliber badges. So they dress up as cadets Jenna and Samantha(in Jeremy's older sister's old uniforms), and they just gradually get in deeper and deeper into the deception. Tootsie, anyone?
Along the way they absorb many of the values of the Cupcake Cadets--"teamwork, cooperation, innovative thinking and a little vanilla frosting"--mostly by studying (memorizing) the handbook and learning corny, frosting-laden sayings--and how it feels to be total screw-ups at something they thought would be a (cup)cake walk. They go from being so bad that the other girls in their troop think they are saboteurs, to actually (accidental) saboteurs of a camping trip, to thinking of a great money-raising idea and working WITH their main "Whirlwind" competitor. A boy's-eye view of girldom, quick-moving and full of slaptick.
A couple of reviewers have mentioned "I Love Lucy"-That came to mind for me, too. And thier school is "The Thomas Scolari Academy"--Peter Scolari played opposite Tom Hanks in the 80's cross-dressing TV comedy series "Bosom Buddies". Hmmm.
REALLY funny--laugh-out-loud-and-read-parts-to-other-people funny. Jeremy messes up the engine of his dad's beloved Chris-Craft boat by spilling soda and paint on it. He and his best friend Slater decide that their only chance of earning the money is winning a lame balsa-wood boat race("The Windjammer Whirl")--but they have to be Cupcake Cadets (read Girls Scouts) to enter, AND they have to first sell a full quota of cupcakes and earn three Caliber badges. So they dress up as cadets Jenna and Samantha(in Jeremy's older sister's old uniforms), and they just gradually get in deeper and deeper into the deception. Tootsie, anyone?
Along the way they absorb many of the values of the Cupcake Cadets--"teamwork, cooperation, innovative thinking and a little vanilla frosting"--mostly by studying (memorizing) the handbook and learning corny, frosting-laden sayings--and how it feels to be total screw-ups at something they thought would be a (cup)cake walk. They go from being so bad that the other girls in their troop think they are saboteurs, to actually (accidental) saboteurs of a camping trip, to thinking of a great money-raising idea and working WITH their main "Whirlwind" competitor. A boy's-eye view of girldom, quick-moving and full of slaptick.
A couple of reviewers have mentioned "I Love Lucy"-That came to mind for me, too. And thier school is "The Thomas Scolari Academy"--Peter Scolari played opposite Tom Hanks in the 80's cross-dressing TV comedy series "Bosom Buddies". Hmmm.
February 23, 2012
Reading Level: Grade 4-6
Jeremy Bender wants, wants, wants to drive his father's boat...the one he is not allowed to touch. Jeremy has been secretly working on the engine of the boat, an antique Chris-Craft, sure that once his father discovers the boat all ready to run in the spring he will let Jeremy take it out on the lake by himself.
Disaster strikes when a grape soda spill and an accidental green paint spray (his pal Slater's fault) ruins the engine. The boys have to raise $470 so they can secretly repair the engine before spring. How can two 6th grade boys earn that kind of money in a couple of months? Jeremy finds the answer on the library bulletin board, the Cupcake Cadets annual model boat race. First prize is $500.
There is one catch...only girls can be Cupcake Cadets. Armed with two of his older sister's used cadet uniforms and a wig for himself (Slater has long hair), Jeremy and Slater disguise themselves as home-schooled twin sisters and join the cadet troop. The $500 is as good as theirs. How hard could it be to earn three merit badges (the entrance requirement) and beat a bunch of girls?
Additional tales of the view from the other side include:
The day Joanie Frankenhauser Became a Boy by Francess Lin Lantz
Gender Blender by Blake Nelson and
Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
Jeremy Bender wants, wants, wants to drive his father's boat...the one he is not allowed to touch. Jeremy has been secretly working on the engine of the boat, an antique Chris-Craft, sure that once his father discovers the boat all ready to run in the spring he will let Jeremy take it out on the lake by himself.
Disaster strikes when a grape soda spill and an accidental green paint spray (his pal Slater's fault) ruins the engine. The boys have to raise $470 so they can secretly repair the engine before spring. How can two 6th grade boys earn that kind of money in a couple of months? Jeremy finds the answer on the library bulletin board, the Cupcake Cadets annual model boat race. First prize is $500.
There is one catch...only girls can be Cupcake Cadets. Armed with two of his older sister's used cadet uniforms and a wig for himself (Slater has long hair), Jeremy and Slater disguise themselves as home-schooled twin sisters and join the cadet troop. The $500 is as good as theirs. How hard could it be to earn three merit badges (the entrance requirement) and beat a bunch of girls?
Additional tales of the view from the other side include:
The day Joanie Frankenhauser Became a Boy by Francess Lin Lantz
Gender Blender by Blake Nelson and
Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker
For more book reviews from the HPPL Youth Department, click here.
June 10, 2012
Have you ever broken something that wasn't yours and quickly tried to figure out how to fix it or replace it? Well then, you can connect with Jeremy Bender. Eric Luper's book Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets will keep you laughing throughout this wonderful story.
Jeremy and Slater(Jeremy's best friend) spill all kinds of liquid in Jeremy's dad's antique boat engine. In order to fix their mess up before dad finds out, they need a way to raise/win/find $450.00. The problem will be solved once they win the annual Windjammer boat race. Five Hundred dollars goes to the winning boat but like all great stories there is a problem. You must be a member of the Cupcake Cadets which is an exclusive girls only club according to Handbook Rule Number...
Do you see where this book is going? If you are predicting that Jeremy and Slater are going to dress up as Cadets and try and win the money, you are correct. If you are going predict that they will eventually get caught, you are correct. If you want to read to find out about all the boys adventure as girls, then this is a great book for you.
I loved Jeremy Bender vs. The Cupcake Cadets. The boys pulling off this stunt was something I would have never thought of doing when I was in 6th grade. I enjoyed the plot, the villain's role and the way the boat was fixed. Go visit your local library, bookstore or teacher's library if you think this book is for you.
Happy Reading,
Mr. Wittmer
Jeremy and Slater(Jeremy's best friend) spill all kinds of liquid in Jeremy's dad's antique boat engine. In order to fix their mess up before dad finds out, they need a way to raise/win/find $450.00. The problem will be solved once they win the annual Windjammer boat race. Five Hundred dollars goes to the winning boat but like all great stories there is a problem. You must be a member of the Cupcake Cadets which is an exclusive girls only club according to Handbook Rule Number...
Do you see where this book is going? If you are predicting that Jeremy and Slater are going to dress up as Cadets and try and win the money, you are correct. If you are going predict that they will eventually get caught, you are correct. If you want to read to find out about all the boys adventure as girls, then this is a great book for you.
I loved Jeremy Bender vs. The Cupcake Cadets. The boys pulling off this stunt was something I would have never thought of doing when I was in 6th grade. I enjoyed the plot, the villain's role and the way the boat was fixed. Go visit your local library, bookstore or teacher's library if you think this book is for you.
Happy Reading,
Mr. Wittmer
July 5, 2017
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly" – RF Kennedy
Jeremy Bender is not having a good month. First, he and his friend Slater, anger the worst bully in school and if he catches up to them, they are so dead. Then, he accidentally spills paint on his father’s car engine. Jeremy and Slater need cash fast. Desperate times call for desperate measures. They get the idea of becoming Cupcake Cadets (think girl scouts) so that they can win the boating contest, earning $500. Competing against girls? How hard can it be? Wearing a dress, though? At first reluctant, the boys realize that they are perfectly disguised from the bully. Maybe this won't be so hard. Jeremy interviews & observes his sister, Ruthie, to get the gestures and mannerisms down. And when they attend their first meeting as Jenna and Samantha, no one suspects anything is wrong. But soon the troubles begin. They can't make edible cupcakes and nearly "poison" the troop and they are disastrous at field hockey. Going from bad to worse, one of the cadets discover their secret and blackmails them and Scott, the bully, threatens to beat up their imaginary boyfriends!
Pretty standard and I'm not sure who the audience is.
Jeremy Bender is not having a good month. First, he and his friend Slater, anger the worst bully in school and if he catches up to them, they are so dead. Then, he accidentally spills paint on his father’s car engine. Jeremy and Slater need cash fast. Desperate times call for desperate measures. They get the idea of becoming Cupcake Cadets (think girl scouts) so that they can win the boating contest, earning $500. Competing against girls? How hard can it be? Wearing a dress, though? At first reluctant, the boys realize that they are perfectly disguised from the bully. Maybe this won't be so hard. Jeremy interviews & observes his sister, Ruthie, to get the gestures and mannerisms down. And when they attend their first meeting as Jenna and Samantha, no one suspects anything is wrong. But soon the troubles begin. They can't make edible cupcakes and nearly "poison" the troop and they are disastrous at field hockey. Going from bad to worse, one of the cadets discover their secret and blackmails them and Scott, the bully, threatens to beat up their imaginary boyfriends!
Pretty standard and I'm not sure who the audience is.
October 17, 2013
Jeremy Bender loves to tinker on his father's antique boat with dreams of driving it himself one day. When he accidentally damages the engine and finds out it will cost over $400 to repair he despairs. Argh! His dad will never let him touch the boat again, much less drive it, he thinks. When he spots the poster for the Windjammer Whirl contest with a $500 first place prize, he sees the answer to his problems. So what if the competition is only for Cupcake Cadets, a girl organization like Girl Scouts or Campfire Girls. When the boys masquerade as girls they have no clue how difficult it is going to be.
The humor in this story is in the embarrassing moments and mistakes Jeremy and his friend, Slater, have while trying to earn Cadet badges. They can't cook. They can't camp. They can't play lacrosse. When another cadet learns their secret and blackmails them, they learn that being a girl isn't as easy as it looks and that even their blackmailer has some redeeming qualities. A subplot involving a bully has the boys creatively trying to deal with him as girls. The contrast between how genders treat each other would make for good book club or classroom discussions. The end has them getting along better with girls, bullies, and each other. A funny book that is good for grades 4-6.
The humor in this story is in the embarrassing moments and mistakes Jeremy and his friend, Slater, have while trying to earn Cadet badges. They can't cook. They can't camp. They can't play lacrosse. When another cadet learns their secret and blackmails them, they learn that being a girl isn't as easy as it looks and that even their blackmailer has some redeeming qualities. A subplot involving a bully has the boys creatively trying to deal with him as girls. The contrast between how genders treat each other would make for good book club or classroom discussions. The end has them getting along better with girls, bullies, and each other. A funny book that is good for grades 4-6.
August 9, 2012
Jeremy Bender is of the same ilk as Greg Heffley – these are boys who engage in activities not exactly for the glory of self improvement or to challenge themselves for but mostly for their own misguided goals. If they should do good turns while trying to win the tween rat race well then, all the better, but those are mostly inconsequential to the higher calling of saving face and trying to impress one’s buddies. Jeremy only wants to be able to show his dad that he can drive the motor boat on the lake by himself and score the freedom for he and his buddy, Slater, to roam the lake unsupervised. He botches the first task of fueling the engine by accidentally pouring soda into the gas tank. Oooops doesn’t quite cover it. 500 dollars would but how do two relatively unskilled tweens earn that much money? Jeremy sees opportunity in the unlikeliest organization – the Cupcake Cadettes and their annual cupcake sale. How will they join this all girl organization? By dressing like and acting like girls. You can be sure comeuppance is on its way. Very funny and enjoyable. Recommend for ages 8-12. The audio version is especially entertaining.
October 12, 2011
My favorite sister-in-law just sent me a joke today about a guy needing a brain transplant. The doctors want $2000 for a man's brain and $200 for a woman's. Why?
Because you pay more for something that hasn't been used :D
I bring this up because Jeremy Bender and his pal Slater think it will be a cinch to dress up in drag and join the "Cupcake Cadets". They need the $500 prize money from a Cadet contest to pay for damage they've done to Jeremy's dad's prized boat. Fool the girls? Beat them at their own games? Easy, they think. But neither posing as girls nor invading the Cadets world is as easy as it seems.
There are wedgie jokes and the like here for boys, but I suspect that girls will like this as much or even more than the boys, because there are a pack of smart,resourceful girls here, from their sister Ruthie to Cadet Margaret Parsley to the electric blue haired children's librarian battling the mean old reference librarians--both stereotypes by the way, but at least there's no mean old children's librarian.......
Because you pay more for something that hasn't been used :D
I bring this up because Jeremy Bender and his pal Slater think it will be a cinch to dress up in drag and join the "Cupcake Cadets". They need the $500 prize money from a Cadet contest to pay for damage they've done to Jeremy's dad's prized boat. Fool the girls? Beat them at their own games? Easy, they think. But neither posing as girls nor invading the Cadets world is as easy as it seems.
There are wedgie jokes and the like here for boys, but I suspect that girls will like this as much or even more than the boys, because there are a pack of smart,resourceful girls here, from their sister Ruthie to Cadet Margaret Parsley to the electric blue haired children's librarian battling the mean old reference librarians--both stereotypes by the way, but at least there's no mean old children's librarian.......
April 13, 2012
Okay guys, how hard can it be to beat a bunch of girls at a model boat race? And the top prize is $500. Easy money. Or so Jeremy and his best friend, Slater, think. Besides they really, really need the cash. The prize money will be enough to fix Jeremy's dad's boat without him ever knowing the engine was accidentally covered in spray paint. Winning should be a piece of cake. Or more accurately, a cupcake, since the Windjammer Whirl is a Cupcake Cadets contest, and open to members only. So Jeremy dons a wig, Slater sweeps back his hair into a ponytail, and both put on skirts, berets, and sashes to try to earn their badges as Cupcake Cadets and win the race.
Of course nothing quite goes as planned, and Jeremy and Slater end up learning a lesson or two as the bungle along. Luper's humorous tale would be a great book group read to get kids talking about gender roles. Call it gender studies, for the middle school set, wrapped in a kid-friendly package.
Of course nothing quite goes as planned, and Jeremy and Slater end up learning a lesson or two as the bungle along. Luper's humorous tale would be a great book group read to get kids talking about gender roles. Call it gender studies, for the middle school set, wrapped in a kid-friendly package.
August 7, 2012
We listened to this one, and it was pretty good. Jeremy is a likable boy, funny and quite resourceful in finding a way to raise money covertly. I enjoyed the interaction between him and his family and friends, it was realistic without dwelling on the negative. But, it moved a little slow. The author spends a little too long hashing and rehashing certain elements.
(Example: Jeremy and his friend come up with a clever plan to raise some money. The plan is unorthodox, to put it mildly. Jeremy's friend feels compelled to ask over and over "Are we really going to do this?" or something to that affect. Jeremy reassures him that they are. Over and over.)
Snore. This type of dialogue slowed down the story and made me want to skip ahead repeatedly. Otherwise, an interesting story that will appeal to both clever boys and their wise sisters.
(Example: Jeremy and his friend come up with a clever plan to raise some money. The plan is unorthodox, to put it mildly. Jeremy's friend feels compelled to ask over and over "Are we really going to do this?" or something to that affect. Jeremy reassures him that they are. Over and over.)
Snore. This type of dialogue slowed down the story and made me want to skip ahead repeatedly. Otherwise, an interesting story that will appeal to both clever boys and their wise sisters.
November 30, 2011
Very funny
When Jeremy Bender damaged his father's boat, he knows he has to fix it before his dad finds out. Jeremy and his friend, Slater, realize that they cannot raise enough money to fix the near $500 repair.
At the Library they notice a poster sponsored by the Cupcake Cadets for a model sailboat race that pays the winner $500. A slight problem - must be a girl and a member of the Cupcake Cadets.
Jeremy convinces Slater they should dress up like girls in his sister's old uniforms and join the troop. Then the silliness begins as the boys proceed to blunder through one hilarious incident after another.
When Jeremy Bender damaged his father's boat, he knows he has to fix it before his dad finds out. Jeremy and his friend, Slater, realize that they cannot raise enough money to fix the near $500 repair.
At the Library they notice a poster sponsored by the Cupcake Cadets for a model sailboat race that pays the winner $500. A slight problem - must be a girl and a member of the Cupcake Cadets.
Jeremy convinces Slater they should dress up like girls in his sister's old uniforms and join the troop. Then the silliness begins as the boys proceed to blunder through one hilarious incident after another.
June 7, 2011
I like the comparison of this book to Lucy and Ethel, or Bosom Buddies (many of you may be too young to remember those). The book manages to combine humor, a few lessons without being preachy, and even a bit of science. (And a cool librarian, with a slam at reference librarians, though). Other than having to suspend a bit of believability (really, virtually no one could tell they were boys over a period of months?), it was a fun book. I had to re-read the chapter with Jeremy's sister calling him out--guess she had put two and two together, but the moment slipped in and out quickly.
August 3, 2013
Funny book for 4th-6th graders (guys and girls!). After breaking the engine on his father's boat, Jeremy and his friend Slater need to earn some money--and fast! Their solution, disguise themselves as girls and enter the Cupcake Cadet Windjammer Whirl. They figure it will be quick and easy to win the $500 reward...or is being a girl harder than it looks?
A little more character development would have been nice, and I had a bit of a hard time believing that no one (the adults nor Jeremy's classmate) noticed that two boys had infiltrated the Cupcake Cadets. Kids won't care though.
A little more character development would have been nice, and I had a bit of a hard time believing that no one (the adults nor Jeremy's classmate) noticed that two boys had infiltrated the Cupcake Cadets. Kids won't care though.
December 31, 2010
What happens when two middle school guys disguise themselves as girls so they can infiltrate the Cupcake Cadets and compete in the all-girls group's annual sailboat race? Eric Luper's first foray into the middle grade genre is fast-paced and hysterical. Due out in May 2011, this one will appeal to boys and girls alike.
April 25, 2011
Love this book. Jeremy and his friend Slater decide to join the Cupcake Cadets to try and win an annual race that has a winning prize of $500. Jeremy has just destroyed his dad's boat and the prize money would cover the cost to fix it. The only hitch, they need to dress up like girls to join the Cadets. Boys and girls alike will love to follow Jeremy's journey and see how everything turns out.
March 30, 2016
It starts with a funny premise: two boys, needing cash to fix a boat that they weren't supposed to be touching, masquerade as girls in a Girl-Scout-like troop to enter that club's contest. Unfortunately, the characters weren't very distinct, and the conclusion was much too easy. A fun read, but it could have been stronger.
February 17, 2013
A hysterical gender bending adventure! Jeremy and Slater, disguised as Jenna and Samantha, join the Cupcake Cadets in order to win the annual Windjammer Jam. See, they need the prize money so they can repair the damage they did to Jeremy's Dad's boat. Turns out that clumsy and accident-prone are their middle names. Prepare to laugh a lot!
February 10, 2014
What's more fun than boys in drag? Jeremy and his buddy, accidently ruin the engine in his dad's prized boat and need to make some money fast. What better way than to dress up as girls and join the Cupcake Cadets? What they learn is being a girl isn't as easy as it looks. A fun read ala Phyllis Reynolds Naylor "Boys Against Girls" series.
July 24, 2011
The mostly mis-adventures of Jeremy and his friend Slater as they struggle to keep out of the way of the resident bully and try to earn money to fix the latest of their mishaps! Funny without being over the top weird.
October 21, 2012
Such a cute book. This would be a great story for either boys or girls to read. Fun shenanigans and, of course, lessons.
Jeremy and Slater go undercover as Cupcake Cadets to enter the Windjammer Whirl and win the prize money to fix Jeremy's dad's boat. Hilarious.
Jeremy and Slater go undercover as Cupcake Cadets to enter the Windjammer Whirl and win the prize money to fix Jeremy's dad's boat. Hilarious.
November 2, 2012
2 6th grade boys make a mess of a boat and get the brilliant idea to enter a contest building and racing a model boat. The big problem is that you have to be a girl. So they decide the $500 prize is worth it.
They muddle things up over and over but learn a lot of good lessons along the way!
They muddle things up over and over but learn a lot of good lessons along the way!
December 2, 2010
Scored this ARC! Finally read it! I think this will be a hit with MG students when it comes out next year. I am booktalking it up with my students.
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