Last-But-Not-Least Lola and the Cupcake Queens

by Christine Pakkala, Paul Hoppe (Illustrator)

Lola's mom is home but not home, because she's frantically working all the time. Lola's friends are here but not here as allegiances among the foursome change faster than you can forget your lines for a school play. Lola means well but can't help acting on her emotions and getting into trouble. She'll need to dig for bravery as she deals with a possible ghost next door, stage fright, and, hardest of all, making amends with her friends. In this heartwarming tale, Lola is braver than she thinks, and her friendships are stronger than she realizes.

Genres: Realistic Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

Christine Pakkala was born and raised in Idaho. She earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop (Poetry) and was a Fulbright scholar. She's the author of Last But Not Least Lola: Going Green, which earned a starred review from School Library Journal. Jasmine and Maddie earned a spot on School Library Journal's "What Hot In YA" for Summer, 2014. Last But Not Least Lola and the Wild Chicken is forthcoming September, 2014, and Last But Not Least Lola and The Haunted Mansion is scheduled for September, 2015. All titles are from Boyds Mills Press, an imprint of Highlight. Christine, a former English teacher with a passion for punctuation and poetry, now teaches creative writing at the Westport Writers' Workshop. She lives in Westport, CT with her husband, two children and two dogs.

Reviews

[Liz Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Lola, what are we going to do about you acting without thinking?
This book was so fun. I can't wait to read it to my class. Lola overcomes so many things that kids deal with: friends, memorizing, forgetful busy moms. Great story.

[erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for a library review -- cute book about lola and her experiences with friends, halloween and her 2nd grade class.

[Chelsea Hoschar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lola Zuckerman is always dismayed that she is last for everything because her last name starts with the letter Z. It is for this reason that she decides she will dress up as a zero for Halloween, since zero and the letter Z always get forgotten. But, her friends, Jessie and Amanda, have three deluxe Cupcake Queen costumes and Lola will get to dress up as the 3rd queen. She is so excited. But, her excitement might start to fade as she finds herself caught in a lie that she calls a ‘whopper’. She also has the biggest part in the 2nd grade ‘Once Upon a Pumpkin’ play and she is extremely nervous about learning all her lines. On top of all that, she is sure that there is a ghost haunting her neighborhood. Lola learns throughout this cute story that lying never solves anything and that friends are a super important part of life. This book is adorable and very entertaining. It is written from the perspective of a 2nd grade girl and sounds like it. For example, Lola likes to break down big words and explain what two words were combined to make that one word, like flouncing away being a combo of bouncing away with flair. It’s the little things like this that make this book a really fun read and a book that I think kids will really enjoy. It has good lessons about being jealous, handling friendships and relationships, being truthful, and overcoming new fears and challenges. I loved this book and plan to purchase the other books in the series. A great book for library!!

[Kellee Moye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=7976

I love that we are finding more and more girls like Lola in books. Lola is unique and smart and creative and not perfect yet also so very normal. She can be both a really good friend yet also a girl who makes mistakes. Lola is such a great role model for readers because she is all of these things, both good and bad. Readers will see themselves in her because she is very human.

In Lola and the Cupcake Queens, we get to know Lola even better. We learn that she has insecurities, that she loves her friends but doesn’t always know how to act, and that she underestimates herself. Each story about Lola’s puts her in more and more situations that readers will be able to connect with.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new delightful book follows the adventures of Lola and friends at Halloween and is another must-read in this wonderful series by Christine Pakkala. Warm, witty, and fun, these books are clever and insightful and giggle out loud funny -- perfect as an early chapter book for a first or second grader, for a parent reading to a younger child -- or for older children who simply enjoy the antics of Lola & Company. The writing is terrific and the illustrations are adorable, too. I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with these kids.

[Paige Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a funny, well written book about four friends in elementary school. I am a mother of 2 girls who found the story to be realistic and relatable. I especially enjoyed the author's humor and use of vocabulary definitions for clarification. The illustrations are expressive and compliment the whimsical writing style throughout the book.

[Salky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Another fun adventure with Lola and her friends.