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Confectionately Yours #4
Something New
Everyone's heading for happily ever after . . . and leaving me behind! Hayley's life hasn't exactly been a piece of cake, and now there's even more change in an adorable new puppy, a possible new school, and a new baking challenge - a wedding cake for her grandmother's big day! Too bad the puppy isn't housebroken, the school is filled with ritzy girls, and Hayley's practice cakes keep collapsing. With her friends and family pulling her every which way, it's no wonder Hayley's mixed up in madness!
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2013
33 people are currently reading
796 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Papademetriou
92 books428 followersBestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is the author of the 'Confectionately Yours' series, 'Middle School: Big, Fat Liar' and 'Homeroom Diaries' (both with James Patterson), and many other novels for middle grade and young adult readers. Her books have appeared on the Bank Street Best Books of the Year list, the NYPL Books for the Teen Age, and the Texas Lone Star Reading List, among others. A former editor, Lisa has worked for Scholastic, HarperCollins, and DisneyPress, and holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. HarperCollins will publish her next novel, 'A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic', in October 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 18, 2013
I've been reading a lot of this genre for a person who claims not to prefer this genre . . . The fourth part of the Confectionately Yours series is almost the best one yet. I really enjoyed reading it. This book shows how friendships change and mature as teens grow up and, with a lot of effort and reflection, relationships can even be better. It's such a sweet story I recommend to many of my readers.
April 10, 2020
Yes yes and yes. Who knew 60 pages could wrap up everything so nicely??
October 28, 2013
This book is about a Seventh grader named Hayley. She loves to bake cupcakes and tries out new flavors almost every day. Her best friend Magen forces her to run for class president. While she tries to make that work out her mom lets the family foster a dog named Tessie. She has never been fond with dogs though. Now her ex-best friend Artie and Magen are working together and her grandma is getting married! How is this going to workout? Read to find out. I like this book because I have been reading the series and I felt that this book may be better than the others. The food and recipes in this book made my mouth water! I wanted to jump in the book and help them out. This book is a great book for Tweens and Teens! If your into books that have food because you get hungry this may be your book!
September 11, 2015
I just finished this book and I'm pretty sure that it's the last book because I haven't herd of any other ones and it all ended happily. It was so awesome but I'm sad that the series is over. Artie, Meghan, and Hayley are all besties. Marco and Hayley are friends again. Her grandma got married to Mr. Mallik. Hayley might have a crush on Kyle. Omar and Meghan are getting along. Everything is perfect!!!!
August 27, 2013
I like this book series but I do not like the character Hayley portraits. She does not stand up for herself. She is a people pleaser, and she does not speak her mind, making things go from bad to worse for herself and others. I guess the reason I recognize this traits in Hayley is because I am the exact opposite of who she is.
July 2, 2015
I think this series has run its course for me. The only thing I might say is interesting is seeing how Haley's grandmother's relationship is progressing. Other than that, it just seems like the same old storyline.
August 21, 2013
it lhink it was one of the greatest book of all times lisa did a great job!
November 18, 2025
Loved this book. I read this to my 8, 6, and 4 year old girls. My 6 year old who wants to be a baker when she grows up picked it out. It was the best pre-teen chapter book I’ve read to them so far!
It was interesting for all of us. The imagery and character development was great! One of my beefs with a lot of books is that it doesn’t seem real without imagery. But this book was very believable, cozy and endearing.
Another thing I loved about this book was that it gave you important and relevant things to ponder and wrestle with, without spelling it all out for you. This left a lot of room for my kids and I to discuss the book.
My 6 year old and myself both struggle with the same problem as the main character. Watching the character experience her problem helped us analyze ourselves and our choices more.
Please write a book five!
It was interesting for all of us. The imagery and character development was great! One of my beefs with a lot of books is that it doesn’t seem real without imagery. But this book was very believable, cozy and endearing.
Another thing I loved about this book was that it gave you important and relevant things to ponder and wrestle with, without spelling it all out for you. This left a lot of room for my kids and I to discuss the book.
My 6 year old and myself both struggle with the same problem as the main character. Watching the character experience her problem helped us analyze ourselves and our choices more.
Please write a book five!
Read
January 21, 2022This book was very entertaining! It took place mainly in Haley’a grandmothers cafe the tea room and her school. This book is about how Haley is getting closer with her ex friend, Artie and dealing with jealousy. When both of Haley’s friends form a bond Haley finds it hard to know whether they like each other better. Besides all of that going on with her friends Marco asked her to the school barbecue! Haley is great friends with Marco but is unsure how she feels about him in that way. There was a lot of good plot in this book that kept me reading! all four books were so good i just had to read them all!
April 13, 2022
There was a fire a few doors down from the tea room. Their foster dog Tessie had woken Haley up to the smell of smoke in the middle of the night. The Mexican Restaurant had burned down and minor damage to the flower shop next door. They decided to keep the dog. Haley's grandmother got married to Mr Malik in the flower shop and they told a big surprise. They were tearing down the wall to the Flower Shop and were making The Tea Room into a Tea Room and Library. Haley went to the middle school barbaque and her friend Marco kissed her.
April 11, 2024
I enjoyed this book more than the 3rd one but it still was not as good as the second one. I felt like the ending was rushed and not much happened in the book. They did better at giving Omar a character arc but still did not do better with Jamil. Overall disappointed but it was still a fun read for the most part and I am glad I read the series it was very cute. However, I have to finally admit that I think the recipe parts are cool and useful (especially for young kids who get inspired to bake after reading the books) but I skipped those sections everytime.
September 7, 2020
Cupcake baker, Hayley and a new best friend, Meghan explore the joys of making gluten free baked goods, running for class president and vice president, and dealing with the complications of old friend drama, (Artemis, Marco) Gram's upcoming marriage, a crush, (Kyle) and a new puppy. A neighborhood fire draws everyone together, and the 1-4 book series wraps up handily, though the recipes all resemble one another by the end.
August 20, 2021
This was a great ending to this little series. 👏 I love how there are always so many things that made me gasp in these books. Gasps of joy, excitement, and I might of squealed once or twice. The ending was awesome! There is no better way to end this wonderful series. Definitely recommend to young readers who like baking, love, and excitement because this book has all of these things. 5 stars all the way! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
February 19, 2023
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. I wish the conflicts didn't just wrap up with the ending, because I'd love to read more about this little world and see the tea room bookshop come to be and all the kids going to the next grade... But alas, no more to this story.
February 25, 2017
AWESOME!
June 21, 2017
I love this book! And the series.
July 21, 2017
218 pages. This book has lots of drama and conversations. It seems like a middle school kind of book. Features a seventh grader. Boring. Skip this one.
March 20, 2018
Awesome
This book was really awesome because It shows a lot about friendship and courage. It is cool! - Lucy, grade 3.
This book was really awesome because It shows a lot about friendship and courage. It is cool! - Lucy, grade 3.
October 16, 2018
Surprisingly, this was an amazing book! It was funny, interesting, and sometimes relatable. I really recommend this book!
Currently reading
May 15, 2020Hello When I saw the book I knew it was going to be great! I cant wait to start reading
From Hanna
From Hanna
July 29, 2020
Link to my book talk: https://youtu.be/zVXMEHcxYDo
March 15, 2021
This book was pretty good. I haven't read the first 3, but I feel like I didn't really need to in order to understand the story.
April 6, 2024
Cute, fun, quick read. It's a teen book, but interesting enough for an adult - like cotton candy :) I read all four!
June 6, 2024
This book dragged on a tiny bit but had a wonderful ending 🤗
June 8, 2017
In this installment, we follow Hayley as she finishes up seventh grade.
One of the things I liked best about this series was how relatable Hayley and her friends were. They were just average kids, and unlike the protagonists of many other books, they weren't particularly "special". Hayley did have a talent for baking cupcakes, but that point was central to the theme of the series. Now suddenly, Hayley was excelling two years above grade level in Spanish. And we knew that Artie could sing, but along the way, she turned into a natural performer of all kinds of stage talent, plus she was exceptionally artistic! And boy-next-door Marco became a brilliant photographer and videographer. That's all good and fine, but they all just became not quite so relatable as before. They're only in 7th grade, after all. They could have remained more relatable, if say, Marco showed an interest in photography, without automatically being incredibly talented at it.
As usual, the author works in some kind of angle to open young readers' minds. This time, volunteering makes an appearance. I like that the series seems to make a point of highlighting diversity and well-roundedness.
I also continued to be impressed with how well the author was able to capture the essence of being a teenager. Even though Hayley makes some bad decisions, I kind of felt I could understand why she made them, even though it was clear she knew what she ought to have done.
Surprisingly, Hayley showed a real lack of ambition, and at first I couldn't decide how I felt about her attitude. Was it a bad thing if she didn't want to pursue every potentially positive opportunity presented to her? After a while, I realized that I found Hayley's priorities remarkably reasonable. In a world where students are constantly over-scheduled, trying to maximize their commitments in order to pad their transcripts for college, it was refreshing that Hayley knew what she liked - baking cupcakes and helping her Gran at the Tea Room - and actually prioritized her commitments so that she wouldn't have to give up those interests. It's not like she was passing up opportunities out of laziness.
Anyway, overall, this book - and the whole series - is just a really fun read about middle school life. Seventh grade ends on a good note for Hayley. A lot of loose ends are tied up, and my only disappointment at the finish was not understanding why Gran was so unhappy about the poetry book Mr. Malik gave her.
One of the things I liked best about this series was how relatable Hayley and her friends were. They were just average kids, and unlike the protagonists of many other books, they weren't particularly "special". Hayley did have a talent for baking cupcakes, but that point was central to the theme of the series. Now suddenly, Hayley was excelling two years above grade level in Spanish. And we knew that Artie could sing, but along the way, she turned into a natural performer of all kinds of stage talent, plus she was exceptionally artistic! And boy-next-door Marco became a brilliant photographer and videographer. That's all good and fine, but they all just became not quite so relatable as before. They're only in 7th grade, after all. They could have remained more relatable, if say, Marco showed an interest in photography, without automatically being incredibly talented at it.
As usual, the author works in some kind of angle to open young readers' minds. This time, volunteering makes an appearance. I like that the series seems to make a point of highlighting diversity and well-roundedness.
I also continued to be impressed with how well the author was able to capture the essence of being a teenager. Even though Hayley makes some bad decisions, I kind of felt I could understand why she made them, even though it was clear she knew what she ought to have done.
Surprisingly, Hayley showed a real lack of ambition, and at first I couldn't decide how I felt about her attitude. Was it a bad thing if she didn't want to pursue every potentially positive opportunity presented to her? After a while, I realized that I found Hayley's priorities remarkably reasonable. In a world where students are constantly over-scheduled, trying to maximize their commitments in order to pad their transcripts for college, it was refreshing that Hayley knew what she liked - baking cupcakes and helping her Gran at the Tea Room - and actually prioritized her commitments so that she wouldn't have to give up those interests. It's not like she was passing up opportunities out of laziness.
Anyway, overall, this book - and the whole series - is just a really fun read about middle school life. Seventh grade ends on a good note for Hayley. A lot of loose ends are tied up, and my only disappointment at the finish was not understanding why Gran was so unhappy about the poetry book Mr. Malik gave her.
February 16, 2017
In the book Something New Hayley’s world is falling apart as if her parents getting a divorce wasn’t enough now her dad wants her to go to a new school and leave all her friends, on top of that she could be getting a puppy that she’s not to excited about, and her grandmother is getting married. With her friends and family pulling her every which way Hayley isn’t sure what to do. I would rate this book a 5/5 for its cliffhangers, adventure, and content that everyone can relate to. I would recommend this book to kids grades 6-8.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2016
At First Sight: Hayley's life is in transition again, her dear grandma just got engaged to Mr. Malik - who owns the flower shop next to Grandma's Tea Shop - her sister Chloe got their mom to agree to foster a puppy, and her best friend Meg wants her to run for class VP.
And, to top it all off, her dad wants her to send her to a fancy private school the following year. A school full of ritzy girls with fancy clothes who make Hayley feel out of place (even if they are nice to her).
Hayley struggles to make sense of all these changes, of why her Grandma isn't more excited about planning the wedding, of how Tesseract (the puppy Chloe is fostering at home) is not house trained and keeps wrecking havoc, mostly in Hayley's direction; of what to do about Meg, and about her long time friend Marco who seems to want a bit more than friendship of late.
Second Glance: I love Hayley, she keeps growing on me and grows up through out the books, she's such a nice, decent little soul, yet she's so human at the same time - I loved how she reacted to all the mischief Tessie kept throwing her way because it showed a very human and imperfect reaction.
I also loved how you Hayley has become stronger with each book, how she doesn't let things get her down as much and rather keeps on going.
As she grows up her relationships become more complex - with her little sister Chloe, and her absent minded dad, and her friends (old and new) - and she's more sure of herself.
Bottom Line: I always like visiting with Hayley and catching up with her life and looking at all the cupcakes she makes - she always shares de recipes - and just enjoying the sweetness of a book like this.
And, to top it all off, her dad wants her to send her to a fancy private school the following year. A school full of ritzy girls with fancy clothes who make Hayley feel out of place (even if they are nice to her).
Hayley struggles to make sense of all these changes, of why her Grandma isn't more excited about planning the wedding, of how Tesseract (the puppy Chloe is fostering at home) is not house trained and keeps wrecking havoc, mostly in Hayley's direction; of what to do about Meg, and about her long time friend Marco who seems to want a bit more than friendship of late.
Second Glance: I love Hayley, she keeps growing on me and grows up through out the books, she's such a nice, decent little soul, yet she's so human at the same time - I loved how she reacted to all the mischief Tessie kept throwing her way because it showed a very human and imperfect reaction.
I also loved how you Hayley has become stronger with each book, how she doesn't let things get her down as much and rather keeps on going.
As she grows up her relationships become more complex - with her little sister Chloe, and her absent minded dad, and her friends (old and new) - and she's more sure of herself.
Bottom Line: I always like visiting with Hayley and catching up with her life and looking at all the cupcakes she makes - she always shares de recipes - and just enjoying the sweetness of a book like this.
November 5, 2015
Confectionately yours Something New
Life is not so simple, and neither is Hayley's life. All lives have there flas, just like Hayley’s. This is an amazing book that makes you feel happy. Something new happens that could change everything.
Life above the tea shop is not always so great. Haley's lives with her her sister mother, grandmother, and her new dog. Who peas on posters. Life is going okay after her parents broke up, and her dad found a new girlfriend. But now she might have to go to a new school leaving friends behind. Thing don't get better her baking skills are not proving to be the best at cakes. Hayleys ex-best friend and new best friend are spending more times than they are spending together. Hayley life is all mixed up.
This is a great book and a great series.This fiction book is an easy read by Lisa Papademetriou. It makes me feel like I am not so different even if a lot of these thing have not happened to me. It still makes me feel like it fit in. I would tell everybody to read this book, and read the rest of the book in the series, I strongly think you should read this book even if it is easy.
I think that everybody should read this book. Because It is a great book, and has a good message. This book has lots of characters that you can connect to, making it enjoyable to read.
Life is not so simple, and neither is Hayley's life. All lives have there flas, just like Hayley’s. This is an amazing book that makes you feel happy. Something new happens that could change everything.
Life above the tea shop is not always so great. Haley's lives with her her sister mother, grandmother, and her new dog. Who peas on posters. Life is going okay after her parents broke up, and her dad found a new girlfriend. But now she might have to go to a new school leaving friends behind. Thing don't get better her baking skills are not proving to be the best at cakes. Hayleys ex-best friend and new best friend are spending more times than they are spending together. Hayley life is all mixed up.
This is a great book and a great series.This fiction book is an easy read by Lisa Papademetriou. It makes me feel like I am not so different even if a lot of these thing have not happened to me. It still makes me feel like it fit in. I would tell everybody to read this book, and read the rest of the book in the series, I strongly think you should read this book even if it is easy.
I think that everybody should read this book. Because It is a great book, and has a good message. This book has lots of characters that you can connect to, making it enjoyable to read.
June 19, 2013
Seventh grader Hayley Hicks loves making cupcakes--the book even contains some recipes--but this year seems filled with uncertainty. While her friend Meghan decides to run for class president, she finds it impossible to say no to her desire that Hayley run for vice president. She also can't say no when a male friend invites her on a date even though she has feelings for someone else. Finally, she goes along with her father's interest in having her attend an exclusive prep school. Finally, she figures out a way to stand up for herself but does so without hurting others. Middle grade readers will see a lot of their own dilemmas in Hayley's while laughing at some of the book's passages that show just how crazy life can be.
August 1, 2014
This book is probably my second favourite out of all four books. There is a lot of character development, and not as much drama as the last couple of books. I would recommend it to those who like character development books. Hayley learns to speak up and do what she thinks is right. I love how there is sort of a friendship triangle between Hayley, Meghan, and Artie. Of course, there will be a point where two friends may spend more time together than with the third friend. She finally speaks up about not loving Marco in a romantic way, and sort of realizing how happy Kyle makes her. I'm hoping for another book about her grade seven year, and if there will be one, I'll surely read it the day it comes out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews