Member Reviews
Very imaginative characters and theme that kids will find entertaining. There are many twists in the plots that will keep children engaged.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own
I adored this imaginative story quite a bit. I will be looking for book 1 in the series and keeping my eye open for future books. Cupsnakes sound delicious, by the way.
I had a great time reading this book. Fred and Luisa and getting ready for a baking competition, and Fred is not looking forward to it. Secretly he wants to lose, but his two partners couldn’t be more excited about it. Fred decides to do something drastic, and it sets in motion another zany adventure. Once this tale comes to a close, life for these three friends will be changed forever.
Author Caryn Rivadeneira is back with another fun story in the Frankinschool chapter book series. Fred is feeling nervous about entering the Ook and Spook baking competition. With his grandmother serving as a judge, a host of rumors have popped up around town accusing the pair of rigging the contest. If Fred's team wins, everyone will cry favoritism, but he also can't lose and risk embarrassment. It's a no-win situation, and author Rivadeneira taps into the genuine anxiety children feel when unnecessary pressures are added to fun activities.
As he contemplates throwing the competition, a poem, a ghost, and some strange decorative sugar all lead to Fred's "cupsnakes", along with the other entries, becoming animated and wreaking havoc across the school. To put everything right and get their cupsnakes ready for judging, Fred and his teammates must transform into their alternate personas (FrankinSchool, Princesa Maria Luisa Octavia, and a pretty fierce Medusa) and wrangle the unwieldy pastries. These moments of action are incredibly silly with some humor teetering toward gross—which is definitely not a bad thing. Rivadeneira finds the right amount of jokes to balance out Fred's broader struggles with the competition and his friends, making this a usually fun, wacky story with some charmingly quiet points.
Illustrator Dani Jones offers up plenty of fun black-and-white illustrations to break up the text. In particular, the contest entries are a blend of zany Halloween themes, and any artist who can make plain brown cupsnakes look both cute and alive with personality deserves immense praise. From Fred's apprehension to the intensity of the competition and the final showdown with baked goods, Jones has perfectly captured this off-kilter world.
Ultimately, The Cupsnake Escape has a monster amount of spooky kid appeal.
Frank and Luisa are back in this spooky tale about peer pressure, baking competition, and self-esteem. Frank and his friends are competing in a baking contest judged by Frank’s grandmother!
This book addresses the stress of peer pressure and rumors. Frank’s inner dialogue is insightful and relatable. My kids will love the combination of baking and spooky circumstances!
The target audience for this book would be first grade through third grade, although many ages would enjoy the story.
This book was perfect for my 7 year old. We read it together. It was a quick read and very silly. We love books like Magic Tree House and Bailey School Kids and this book has the same quirky charm.
The font size and illustrations were great for the audience.
Halloween stories that aren’t scary are appreciated and I love having options in my classroom. I’ll definitely be adding this one!
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This was really cute! I didn't realize the first one was going to be a series and then I seen this and was intrigued. It was kind of interesting the author brought in Frank from the first book to create more shenanigans. The kids are really cute and this was just a fun cute book.
Thanks #Netgalley and #RedChairPress for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.
Read this with my 10 year old neighbor. Fun book for both of us! Especially the cup snakes!! We giggled and giggled! We enjoyed this so much she wants me to find the fist in the series.
had so much fun reading this book, the story is so adorable and the illustrations were so well done and charming, there’s so many little details in every page that I couldn’t stop but be mesmerized by it all. I will definitely be recommending it! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy
Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.
This was the perfect book to read on Halloween! It had all kinds of spooky creatures and it was fun, smart, creative, heartwarming and magical.
When Fred and his teammates Drake and Luisa, arrive at the Ook and Spook High School Bake-off competition, Fred is nervous and worried. He loves baking and they’ve created an amazing recipe, but his grandmother is a judge at the competition and people are so mean about that to him, even with the blind taste-testing.
But when something unexpected happens, thanks to a friendly ghost and the power of poems, Fred and his teammates have to work together to set things right. And their recipe becomes so much more than something to participate in a contest with!
A book with a beautiful and fun cover and a great story, that kids will love, inside!
Caryn Rivadeneira's second book in the "Frankinschool" series, "Cupsnakes on the Run," is an imaginative, spooky, and, dare I say "ooky" story. That we meet a new character, Drake, who joins the mystery-solving team is a fun addition. From Medusa to magic glitter to the ghostly reappearance of Frank, this one is another delightful read.
Children learn so well when they story is entertaining and they can talk about what happened with their friends. This book fits all those requirements and more. The topics fit so well with my 5-8 year old group that they took turns reading it to each other again, then asked for another book! As their adult, I loved it too. Great iilustrations, a story with a Halloween theme but not scary, and an invaluable lesson. 5 cupcakes.....er.... stars!!!
Thank you so much to Red Chair Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Fred is taking part in an annual baking contest at the high school, he’s nervous to take part as everyone around him deems him a cheater, due to his grandma being a judge. He writes out a poem and just like last time he’s transported to being Frankinschool again, seeing Frank the ghost.
Really interesting story, I thought it odd that everyone bullied him and called him a cheater though as you literally cannot cheat at a blind judge contest, his grandma wouldn’t have any clue which was his, plus he did it with friends so it’s not all just him.
I liked the concept of the baking contest and his friends doing it with him, that it was all a spooky theme for the contest it was a really good storyline. I liked that even at this new school his poetry powers create a way of sending him and his friends into this other world again. I liked that his new friend Drake had a style of his own, I really liked that they were all helping with ghost Franks new business endeavour of removing snakes and mice, it was really funny.
It’s another great story in the series with more great illustrations showcasing the story and characters. I think lots of kids would love this series it’s funny, unique and they are really easy to read. The storylines are always interesting and fun.