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The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #12
Cupid Doesn't Flip Hamburgers
There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City!
96 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1995
18 people are currently reading
786 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Thornton Jones
197 books70 followersMarcia Thornton Jones has published 131 books for children with sales totaling more than 43 million copies world-wide. Her works include CHAMP (mid-grade novel), RATFINK (mid-grade novel), GODZILLA ATE MY HOMEWORK (chapter book), THE TALE OF JACK FROST (picture book) and LEPRECHAUN ON THE LOOSE (picture book). She is the co-author of seven popular series including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, Keyholders, Ghostville Elementary, The Bailey School Kids Jr. Chapter Books, Triplet Trouble, Bailey City Monsters, and The Barkley School for Dogs.
Marcia has been listed as a top 100 author by the Educational Paperback Association and selected for the Children’s Top 100 Books list by the National Education Association, International Reading Associations Children’s Choice Award. Marcia's books have received many honors and have appeared on on the Publisher's Weekly Bestsellers lists,
Marcia, a full time writer living in Lexington, Kentucky enjoys presenting at schools and conferences. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, she easily relates the importance of writing to students of all ages.
Marcia has been listed as a top 100 author by the Educational Paperback Association and selected for the Children’s Top 100 Books list by the National Education Association, International Reading Associations Children’s Choice Award. Marcia's books have received many honors and have appeared on on the Publisher's Weekly Bestsellers lists,
Marcia, a full time writer living in Lexington, Kentucky enjoys presenting at schools and conferences. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, she easily relates the importance of writing to students of all ages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
December 6, 2014
I was so excited when I was able to find this book on Ebay for about $3. I'm currently in my 20s but I clearly remember reading these books around 8 or 9 and absolutely loved them. There's always something strange going on at Bailey Elementary and this time the kids suspect their new lunch lady is cupid. Everyone is falling in love all over the place, even their strange teacher Mrs. Jeepers, who has rumored to be a vampire. Follow the kids on an exciting adventure as they strive to get things back to normal and save everyone from falling in love. ECKK!
Although these books don't creep me out as much as they did when I was younger, it's still a wonderful short read if you need to take a break in between novels or want to take a trip down memory lane like I did. Highly recommended. Even for adults!
Although these books don't creep me out as much as they did when I was younger, it's still a wonderful short read if you need to take a break in between novels or want to take a trip down memory lane like I did. Highly recommended. Even for adults!
February 10, 2022
"The world would probably be a lot better if everyone was a little more loving"
With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to do something tied to it for a casual read. For fun I left it to a poll. Most of the other choice were on the middle grade/YA side, generally obscure aside from a couple. I threw this on there for fun and it won by a big landslide. Given the following these have among those nostalgic for them, i can't be too shocked.
So here I am. I'm glad it won as these are so short that it was nice to have that after Chain Letter. I did read some of these back in the day, I think I still own at least a couple from back then. I haven't re-visited them since and the scant few reviewers I've seen are mixed it seems, one podcast alone went from wanting to do more to being done after the 2nd one they did, and another did them as April fools things and did not like the ones they did.
I can't speak for them in general but for this one, I enjoyed it. It's certainly not great by any means and it is very much for younger kids but it was cute for what it was. The gimmick for these is that these kids discover some new adult that they think may be some magical/supernatural creature.
In this one, they get a new cafeteria lady at school that is very upbeat and gets super into Valentine's day. She makes these heart shaped cookies and eventually everyone who has them starts acting lovey dovey and seems to fall for certain people. Most notably, supposedly stuck up rich girl Carey falls for Eddie even after he does her dirty early on.
These tend to be formulaic but this at least spiced things up with this love potion plot. We never get a clear answer as to if Mrs. Rosenbloom is truly cupid and these are love potions. That's the thing with this series I think, where they don't plant their flag and say it's real or fake. With this one, there's no way it's a coincidence because they go far with it. Maybe early on the nice decorations made them more mellow but as it goes on, that just can't be the case.
I'm not sure how to feel about it but I'm glad they didn't try to pass it off it as fake. The ending is very rushed, the way it's taken care of okay but the wrapup is rushed and I feel kinda bad for Rosenbloom. It's not as mean as it could have been but she seemed pretty pleasant tbh.
She was pretty delightful though. She's a big woman which of course they have to make a thing of, but her description and the illustrations make her out to be kinda attractive ngl. She doesn't come across as fully sinister per say, she's just nice.
Anyway, Eddie is the worst, and usually that would annoy me but that did add to the plot as he's the only one cynical enough to not fall for this and it makes a part later on more effective. Plus, they always dump on him which was great. He doesn't really learn anything though, he ends this the way he starts: by being rotten to someone.
The love potion thing is interesting, as everyone becomes more pleasant but since it's technically forced on them that adds a mild creep factor. A few act harmlessly, some get a bit stalker-y which is only amusing since it's children so they can't go that extra mile.
If this was a deeper series, it could have been a thing on toxic positivity. But it's not so it doesn't go for anything like that. Anyway, this was cute. It went by fast, and was amusing enough with the whole premise. The writing is basic but for younger kids, it gets the job done okay. There's nothing in this one that's bad for kids or anything and it has enough touches to make it breezy and fun enough.
I have too much of a nostalgic soft spot for these to get that cross with them and this isn't one I read back then, so I can take that aside and find this cute enough. Nothing great, nor something I would have read outside of these circumstances but it was fine for what it is.
Don't expect to commit to reading more but don't rule it out per say, never say never. There are other series I'm more interested in doing more of though so yeah. That's all I got, see ya next week for more Animophs. Next casual read will likely be the next in Bruce Coville Teacher Saga, wanna get through those.
See ya then.
With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to do something tied to it for a casual read. For fun I left it to a poll. Most of the other choice were on the middle grade/YA side, generally obscure aside from a couple. I threw this on there for fun and it won by a big landslide. Given the following these have among those nostalgic for them, i can't be too shocked.
So here I am. I'm glad it won as these are so short that it was nice to have that after Chain Letter. I did read some of these back in the day, I think I still own at least a couple from back then. I haven't re-visited them since and the scant few reviewers I've seen are mixed it seems, one podcast alone went from wanting to do more to being done after the 2nd one they did, and another did them as April fools things and did not like the ones they did.
I can't speak for them in general but for this one, I enjoyed it. It's certainly not great by any means and it is very much for younger kids but it was cute for what it was. The gimmick for these is that these kids discover some new adult that they think may be some magical/supernatural creature.
In this one, they get a new cafeteria lady at school that is very upbeat and gets super into Valentine's day. She makes these heart shaped cookies and eventually everyone who has them starts acting lovey dovey and seems to fall for certain people. Most notably, supposedly stuck up rich girl Carey falls for Eddie even after he does her dirty early on.
These tend to be formulaic but this at least spiced things up with this love potion plot. We never get a clear answer as to if Mrs. Rosenbloom is truly cupid and these are love potions. That's the thing with this series I think, where they don't plant their flag and say it's real or fake. With this one, there's no way it's a coincidence because they go far with it. Maybe early on the nice decorations made them more mellow but as it goes on, that just can't be the case.
I'm not sure how to feel about it but I'm glad they didn't try to pass it off it as fake. The ending is very rushed, the way it's taken care of okay but the wrapup is rushed and I feel kinda bad for Rosenbloom. It's not as mean as it could have been but she seemed pretty pleasant tbh.
She was pretty delightful though. She's a big woman which of course they have to make a thing of, but her description and the illustrations make her out to be kinda attractive ngl. She doesn't come across as fully sinister per say, she's just nice.
Anyway, Eddie is the worst, and usually that would annoy me but that did add to the plot as he's the only one cynical enough to not fall for this and it makes a part later on more effective. Plus, they always dump on him which was great. He doesn't really learn anything though, he ends this the way he starts: by being rotten to someone.
The love potion thing is interesting, as everyone becomes more pleasant but since it's technically forced on them that adds a mild creep factor. A few act harmlessly, some get a bit stalker-y which is only amusing since it's children so they can't go that extra mile.
If this was a deeper series, it could have been a thing on toxic positivity. But it's not so it doesn't go for anything like that. Anyway, this was cute. It went by fast, and was amusing enough with the whole premise. The writing is basic but for younger kids, it gets the job done okay. There's nothing in this one that's bad for kids or anything and it has enough touches to make it breezy and fun enough.
I have too much of a nostalgic soft spot for these to get that cross with them and this isn't one I read back then, so I can take that aside and find this cute enough. Nothing great, nor something I would have read outside of these circumstances but it was fine for what it is.
Don't expect to commit to reading more but don't rule it out per say, never say never. There are other series I'm more interested in doing more of though so yeah. That's all I got, see ya next week for more Animophs. Next casual read will likely be the next in Bruce Coville Teacher Saga, wanna get through those.
See ya then.
Read
November 29, 2024My fav from this whole series - needed a quick re-read.
February 10, 2025
A re-read but nostalgic none the less. I am slowly purchasing the whole series as I grew up on these books. They were my favorite to read and pretty much define my cozy creepy personality.
June 26, 2016
Awkward adolescent crushes, heart-shaped food, love potions, more Mrs. Jeepers, sorta' kinda' love triangle but not really... this Bailey School Kids is a trip! But it's also very good. So read it.
March 27, 2022
was going through my old books and stumbled across this one! sooooo nostalgic ✨
January 3, 2026
I remember this one from elementary school, it was one of my favorites! Super cute and funny, and I 100% she was actually Cupid. I believe every monster from these books are definitely actually monsters, like come on there is so much proof!
November 24, 2024
I finally found a website that cataloged the books from my childhood let’s go. One of the most memorable of the Bailey School Kids series for me
August 17, 2024
Used to read this one over and over as a kid—loved the cover art.
February 17, 2025
I have always loved this series
Read
July 14, 2024Cupids Don’t Flip Hamburgers
Eddie gets Carey in trouble with their teacher by throwing up a wadded up Valentine card at her and she tells him back no one will want to be his Valentine. At lunch, they find out they have a new cook (Mrs. Rosenbloom) that’s gone a little crazy with the heart decorations. The food (meatloaf, apples, and jello) are also heart-shaped (and the straws are red).
Eddie, Howie, Melody, and Lizza see Carey talking to Mrs. Rosenbloom and she gives her a button and a cookie. . They all kind of vent about how she gets everything because her dad works at a bank. Eddie says he’ll give her a hard time and gets up to go over to her. She sees Eddie and he offers her his apple slice. She says she’ll take anything if it’s of his. When he gets back to his friends he tells them he dropped it on the floor. They all notice Carey gets staring at Eddie and then she blows him a kiss.
The next day, Eddie hasn’t done his homework. Carrie sneaks up on them and tells Eddie she’ll help him. Her answers are always right. She says she brought him something too. It’s a (thornless) red rose. The others tease him and call her his girlfriend but he denies this and runs into the school. Carey says she’ll just have to try harder (to do what she says they wouldn’t understand). The three agree they don’t see how Carey could be in love with Eddie, but once inside they see her again trying to carry his books. She ends up accidently ripping his notebook. (She says she’ll buy him another one). In class, Carey puts a chocolate kiss on his desk. Eddie flings it and hits Melody on the forehead.
During a science experiment, Eddie catches Carey looking at him again. This causes him to spill salt water on himself. At lunch, Eddie watches as the school’s biggest bully (Ben) is given a button and a cookie by Mrs. Rosenbloom. Amazingly he lets a prissy girl named Izzy sit next to him and share his cookie. Eddie tells his friends Mrs. Rosenbloom is slipping them love potions. Howie says she isn’t Cupid, but Eddie says she might be. She’s not a baby but she IS chubby. Eddie turns to leave and there is Mrs. Rosenbloom offering him a sugar cookie. Then Carey comes up and offers him a chocolate kiss. He runs for his life out the lunch room.
In class, he thinks he’s going to get chewed out by his teacher Mrs. Jeepers but low and behold she’s smiling. The Principal comes in and tells her she left her sugar cookie and she blushes. Eddie then sees that she’s wearing one of the heart-shaped buttons. At recess, they talk about how strange their teacher is acing (humming love songs and drawing hearts on the board and carrying on).Carey asks if Eddie would like her to walk him home. Eddie yells NO and says he’s got to do something and runs home (just before she’s about to say I love you). Carey says he’s playing hard to get. Maybe she should make him some sugar cookies.
The next day, Carey offers Eddie a red cookie and gives him a new notebook. Mrs. Jeepers has a red rose in her hair and is wearing a red dres Eddie’s friends start to think maybe he might be right. At lunch, Mrs. Rosenbloom is making heart-shaped burgers. Melody and Liza go to get some of the cookies and a button. After they eat the cookies, they begin to argue over who Howie likes more. Then they start to fight. Howie helps Liza up and she says to Melody. See. He likes her best. This causes Liza to ask Howie who he likes most and he says he likes them both. Later, Howie tells Eddie he might be right, but if Mrs. Rosenbloom is cupid where are her arrows. He says instead of arrows she’s sticking the students with the buttons. She only gives them to the ones that eat the cookies. They’ll have to avoid anyone with a button until the end of the day. Then they’ll go to Eddie’s house to figure out a cure.
Thanks to remembering one of his Grandmother’s rhyme about “sugar and spice and everything nice”, he comes up with a solution to make sour cookie dough. He uses vinegar which will give it “pucker power”. He adds lemon juice, garlic, black powder, and mustard. He adds ketchup to make it red . Eddie is about to dump his anti-love motion in her mix, but Mrs. Rosenbloom catches him. He lies and says he just wanted to taste one of the cookies. She has one left and sticks the cookie in his mouth. It’s delicious! She then sticks a button on his shirt and tells him Happy Valentine’s Day. Eddie tells him not to worry. He’s too tough but he starts to comment on how nice Carey looks when he sees her.
Ben bumps into her and then Eddie rushes over to help her pick up her books. Only Ben apologizes. Howie now realizes he’s on his own as he watches Eddie walk Carey to class. He tells Howie he should try one of the cookies. Then he runs into Mrs. Rosenbloom and she offers him a cookie but he says no thanks. Then he runs into Melody and Liza who want to know who he likes best and he says neither. But they press him and he says he’ll tell them right after lunch. He REALLY hopes that Mrs. Rosenbloom didn’t see Eddie put the anit-cookie dough in.
He notices the cookies look brown. It doesn’t take long before all the cookies are snatched up. People start spitting the cookies out and saying they’re horrible! The next day, all the Valentines are gone! Mrs. Rosenbloom “has moved to the mountain”. Eddie says he’s fixed Carey and put pepper in her milk. Liza and Melody are friends again and things are officialy back to normal.
Rate: 7 I’m a bit like Eddie. I do not care a thing for Valentine’s Day but even *I* have to admit all the heart-shaped food was kinda cute! And it ALL sounded good! The meatloaf, the apple slices, the sandwiches, the sugar cookies, the cupcakes. Just maybe I wouldn’t have minded this in elementary school. If I had thought of it I could have used the food ideas for a presentation I did for a couple of my friends about “Loving Yourself”. But also like with Eddie all the gushy lovey dovey stuff would have had to GO and I’m glad to see that Cupid got sent packing!
Eddie gets Carey in trouble with their teacher by throwing up a wadded up Valentine card at her and she tells him back no one will want to be his Valentine. At lunch, they find out they have a new cook (Mrs. Rosenbloom) that’s gone a little crazy with the heart decorations. The food (meatloaf, apples, and jello) are also heart-shaped (and the straws are red).
Eddie, Howie, Melody, and Lizza see Carey talking to Mrs. Rosenbloom and she gives her a button and a cookie. . They all kind of vent about how she gets everything because her dad works at a bank. Eddie says he’ll give her a hard time and gets up to go over to her. She sees Eddie and he offers her his apple slice. She says she’ll take anything if it’s of his. When he gets back to his friends he tells them he dropped it on the floor. They all notice Carey gets staring at Eddie and then she blows him a kiss.
The next day, Eddie hasn’t done his homework. Carrie sneaks up on them and tells Eddie she’ll help him. Her answers are always right. She says she brought him something too. It’s a (thornless) red rose. The others tease him and call her his girlfriend but he denies this and runs into the school. Carey says she’ll just have to try harder (to do what she says they wouldn’t understand). The three agree they don’t see how Carey could be in love with Eddie, but once inside they see her again trying to carry his books. She ends up accidently ripping his notebook. (She says she’ll buy him another one). In class, Carey puts a chocolate kiss on his desk. Eddie flings it and hits Melody on the forehead.
During a science experiment, Eddie catches Carey looking at him again. This causes him to spill salt water on himself. At lunch, Eddie watches as the school’s biggest bully (Ben) is given a button and a cookie by Mrs. Rosenbloom. Amazingly he lets a prissy girl named Izzy sit next to him and share his cookie. Eddie tells his friends Mrs. Rosenbloom is slipping them love potions. Howie says she isn’t Cupid, but Eddie says she might be. She’s not a baby but she IS chubby. Eddie turns to leave and there is Mrs. Rosenbloom offering him a sugar cookie. Then Carey comes up and offers him a chocolate kiss. He runs for his life out the lunch room.
In class, he thinks he’s going to get chewed out by his teacher Mrs. Jeepers but low and behold she’s smiling. The Principal comes in and tells her she left her sugar cookie and she blushes. Eddie then sees that she’s wearing one of the heart-shaped buttons. At recess, they talk about how strange their teacher is acing (humming love songs and drawing hearts on the board and carrying on).Carey asks if Eddie would like her to walk him home. Eddie yells NO and says he’s got to do something and runs home (just before she’s about to say I love you). Carey says he’s playing hard to get. Maybe she should make him some sugar cookies.
The next day, Carey offers Eddie a red cookie and gives him a new notebook. Mrs. Jeepers has a red rose in her hair and is wearing a red dres Eddie’s friends start to think maybe he might be right. At lunch, Mrs. Rosenbloom is making heart-shaped burgers. Melody and Liza go to get some of the cookies and a button. After they eat the cookies, they begin to argue over who Howie likes more. Then they start to fight. Howie helps Liza up and she says to Melody. See. He likes her best. This causes Liza to ask Howie who he likes most and he says he likes them both. Later, Howie tells Eddie he might be right, but if Mrs. Rosenbloom is cupid where are her arrows. He says instead of arrows she’s sticking the students with the buttons. She only gives them to the ones that eat the cookies. They’ll have to avoid anyone with a button until the end of the day. Then they’ll go to Eddie’s house to figure out a cure.
Thanks to remembering one of his Grandmother’s rhyme about “sugar and spice and everything nice”, he comes up with a solution to make sour cookie dough. He uses vinegar which will give it “pucker power”. He adds lemon juice, garlic, black powder, and mustard. He adds ketchup to make it red . Eddie is about to dump his anti-love motion in her mix, but Mrs. Rosenbloom catches him. He lies and says he just wanted to taste one of the cookies. She has one left and sticks the cookie in his mouth. It’s delicious! She then sticks a button on his shirt and tells him Happy Valentine’s Day. Eddie tells him not to worry. He’s too tough but he starts to comment on how nice Carey looks when he sees her.
Ben bumps into her and then Eddie rushes over to help her pick up her books. Only Ben apologizes. Howie now realizes he’s on his own as he watches Eddie walk Carey to class. He tells Howie he should try one of the cookies. Then he runs into Mrs. Rosenbloom and she offers him a cookie but he says no thanks. Then he runs into Melody and Liza who want to know who he likes best and he says neither. But they press him and he says he’ll tell them right after lunch. He REALLY hopes that Mrs. Rosenbloom didn’t see Eddie put the anit-cookie dough in.
He notices the cookies look brown. It doesn’t take long before all the cookies are snatched up. People start spitting the cookies out and saying they’re horrible! The next day, all the Valentines are gone! Mrs. Rosenbloom “has moved to the mountain”. Eddie says he’s fixed Carey and put pepper in her milk. Liza and Melody are friends again and things are officialy back to normal.
Rate: 7 I’m a bit like Eddie. I do not care a thing for Valentine’s Day but even *I* have to admit all the heart-shaped food was kinda cute! And it ALL sounded good! The meatloaf, the apple slices, the sandwiches, the sugar cookies, the cupcakes. Just maybe I wouldn’t have minded this in elementary school. If I had thought of it I could have used the food ideas for a presentation I did for a couple of my friends about “Loving Yourself”. But also like with Eddie all the gushy lovey dovey stuff would have had to GO and I’m glad to see that Cupid got sent packing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2021
Not a fan of the ones that are not as creepy, and I thought the resolution to this one was ridiculous and more farfetched than the premise.
October 2, 2009
In this book, for the first time Eddie actually helps solve the problem!
February 18, 2022
Cupid Doesn't Flip Hamburgers begins with Eddie throwing things at this girl being a bully and all ,but not getting in trouble because his teacher, Mrs Jeepers doesn't see it. After this Mrs Jeepers informs the kid to make Valentines for there new cook Mrs Roseenbloom. they go to the cafeteria to discover it's been decorated with all kinds of hearts and other valentine themed things. Here they meet Mrs Roseenbloom, who tells the kids she loves Valentines Day. We get an incredible line of duologue from Eddie who says he hates Valentines Day or something. Mrs Roseenbloom over hears Eddie talking about wanting to get rid of all this gross stuff (I'm with ya man ). The girl at the beginning of the book Eddie is throwing things at is seen getting a heart pin on her shirt and after this it seems Carry is in love with Eddie. Eyelash batting and all. this is where the story gets pretty repetitive .Every student or staff member that gets a heart pin and a cookie ends up liking somebody. Even Mrs Jeepers gets it. Eddie comes up with the solution that Mrs Roseenbloom is putting love potion in the food. This continues with the whole school including melody and Liza getting to the point that they fight over Howie. that's pretty much the plot of this book. This was one of the weaker books in the series so far it just seemed like an excuse for a Valentine themed book in the series .I know this book is targeted for a really younger audience, but I can honestly say without hesitating I would not have liked this as a kid its definitely below average not to mention the resolution to how all this is fixed is random I give Cupid Doesn't Flip Hamburgers a 2 out of 5 stars.
April 29, 2022
Something strange starts happening at Bailey Elementary School when the new lunch lady Mrs. Rosenbloom begins to hand out heart-shaped cookies and pins to students and teachers. Suddenly, it seems like everyone starts to fall in love. Eddie and Howie are the only ones seemingly untouched by the love potions, and they must find a way to snap everyone out of it.
Sending love to:
💌 Valentine’s Day, and all of the cute decorations that Mrs. Rosenbloom covers the cafeteria in (even the trashcan is dressed up with hearts!)
💌 Mrs. Rosenbloom’s fit: a red dress, her bright red lip, and fluffy reddish-blonde hair. She’s accessorized with dangling red heart earrings and hot pink painted nails with little white arrows on them.
💌 Eddie and Howie working together to tackle the problem with utterly disgusting cookies made from a mixture of everything in the fridge.
💌 The awkwardness of Mrs. Jeepers, the kids’ teacher, and the assistant principal openly flirting. Major *scringe*.
Listen to our Cupid Doesn’t Flip Hamburgers episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Check out more book reviews, podcast episodes, and nostalgia here.
Sending love to:
💌 Valentine’s Day, and all of the cute decorations that Mrs. Rosenbloom covers the cafeteria in (even the trashcan is dressed up with hearts!)
💌 Mrs. Rosenbloom’s fit: a red dress, her bright red lip, and fluffy reddish-blonde hair. She’s accessorized with dangling red heart earrings and hot pink painted nails with little white arrows on them.
💌 Eddie and Howie working together to tackle the problem with utterly disgusting cookies made from a mixture of everything in the fridge.
💌 The awkwardness of Mrs. Jeepers, the kids’ teacher, and the assistant principal openly flirting. Major *scringe*.
Listen to our Cupid Doesn’t Flip Hamburgers episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Check out more book reviews, podcast episodes, and nostalgia here.
November 28, 2023
Cupid Doesn't Flip Hamburgers by Debbie Dadey is a delightful and whimsical addition to "The Bailey School Kids" series. This charming story, ideal for young readers, blends mystery and humor with a hint of the supernatural.
It follows a group of children who suspect their new cook might be Cupid, adding a playful twist to the excitement of Valentine's Day. The book is a nostalgic nod to childhood, filled with innocent crushes and adventures.
Its simple yet engaging narrative and relatable and humorous characters make it a captivating read. The audiobook version enhances the experience, bringing the story to life.
Overall, this book is a heartwarming journey into the joys of childhood and imagination, deserving of a 5-star rating.
It follows a group of children who suspect their new cook might be Cupid, adding a playful twist to the excitement of Valentine's Day. The book is a nostalgic nod to childhood, filled with innocent crushes and adventures.
Its simple yet engaging narrative and relatable and humorous characters make it a captivating read. The audiobook version enhances the experience, bringing the story to life.
Overall, this book is a heartwarming journey into the joys of childhood and imagination, deserving of a 5-star rating.
July 25, 2018
This one was funny. It was quite a change, I think from the other books. I'm a sucker for Valentine's Day, so I would have been under Mrs. Rosenbloom's spell. But it was such a cute little spell.
Having kids and teachers running around being all in love and everything. I even laughed when Eddie took one for the team and sacrificed himself to get his gross anti-love potion in the cookie dough batch. Howie had it the worst though, so obviously it had to be stopped.
I guess it's a good thing no one remembered being in love, it probably would have been really embarrassing otherwise.
It was so much fun to read though, I just loved it.
Having kids and teachers running around being all in love and everything. I even laughed when Eddie took one for the team and sacrificed himself to get his gross anti-love potion in the cookie dough batch. Howie had it the worst though, so obviously it had to be stopped.
I guess it's a good thing no one remembered being in love, it probably would have been really embarrassing otherwise.
It was so much fun to read though, I just loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2025
I loved this series as a kid, and my kids love this series now.
This one is a strong addition. The usual "is it really a supernatural creature?" is there, and the heart decorations everywhere are something we've all had to deal with. The out-of-control crushes (maybe from a love potion?) are funny but also a nice realistic touch. A lot of elementary school series stay away from crushes, but some kids are experiencing their first crushes at this age and trying to figure out how to navigate that. One of my kids is dealing with their first crush, and I think this book helped them feel seen. Also, who doesn't want to rescue their whole school from mind control?
This one is a strong addition. The usual "is it really a supernatural creature?" is there, and the heart decorations everywhere are something we've all had to deal with. The out-of-control crushes (maybe from a love potion?) are funny but also a nice realistic touch. A lot of elementary school series stay away from crushes, but some kids are experiencing their first crushes at this age and trying to figure out how to navigate that. One of my kids is dealing with their first crush, and I think this book helped them feel seen. Also, who doesn't want to rescue their whole school from mind control?
October 10, 2023
Continuing on my adventure of reading all the Bailey School Kids books, this little treat passed my way. Another that I hadn't read as a child, this was a sweet surprise with a slightly scary twist, as all the members of the school appear to be doused with love potions! While I always reserve the right to remain agnostic on these matters, Cupid's love potions were hard to explain away, and this one strikes me as a possible real "monster".
I like how being in love was treated like a zombie outbreak or something. It made the story doubly fun!
I like how being in love was treated like a zombie outbreak or something. It made the story doubly fun!
October 18, 2022
I got this in a Scholastic Book Fair as a child. Saw the title again one day and decided to re-read it.
It succeeds well at its goal, which is to be a quick fun read for kids, and hopefully inspire future reading. Growing up in a library, this was my first junk book: easy to read, pure entertainment, zero literary value. An exact written embodiment of a piece of Halloween (or Valentine's!) candy.
It succeeds well at its goal, which is to be a quick fun read for kids, and hopefully inspire future reading. Growing up in a library, this was my first junk book: easy to read, pure entertainment, zero literary value. An exact written embodiment of a piece of Halloween (or Valentine's!) candy.
February 18, 2024
I LOVED these books as a child. I was so excited to read one to my son. The children were so mean and rude! I know it’s a dated book, but it really showed through! They are aimed at younger children, but the content isn’t necessarily appropriate. I wouldn’t want my child to act like or speak like the children in this book.
April 23, 2019
The new lunch lady of Bailey Elementary is putting a ton of love into everything she cooks - so much love, in fact, that the third graders think she may actually be Cupid in disguise! Dadey will charm fans with this hearty entry!
January 31, 2022
Oh these books remind me of elementary school scholastic book fairs. The new lunch lady is using some sort of love potion in the cookies! Only Howie is the last one standing and must take back the school from this love bug nonsense. B
Read
November 2, 2025I read this book to my kiddos, and they loved it! They both laughed so much! My daughter got some extra giggles at the silly, flirty antics of the kiddos and teachers when under the love-spelled cookies.
June 30, 2017
Loved this book as a kid.
November 11, 2018
A cute read
March 19, 2019
Fun early elementary read. My second grader really enjoyed the story
October 26, 2019
For some reason this book has been on my mind a LOT these past few weeks - to the point where I had to borrow a copy from the library.
June 7, 2021
I liked the book especially the ending when everybody ate those sour sugar cookies and spit them out. Throughout the book, the talk about sugar cookies made me so hungry!
June 15, 2021
Another cute one!
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