Party Problems: Updated and Expanded Edition

The Startup Squad #3

by Brian Weisfeld, Nicole C. Kear

Updated and expanded edition includes business plan template to help create your own business!

Girls mean business in the third novel of this series about friendship and entrepreneurship that Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan, calls “A great read!”

All four friends in the Startup Squad want to raise money―but when they can’t agree on what business to start next, they strike off on their own. Didi’s idea seems making place cards for a wedding.

But after the wedding planner gets sick, Didi finds herself in charge of everything―and then the caterer cancels and the band goes missing! Didi’s business is turning from a dream to a disaster. Will the Startup Squad come together in time to save the wedding?

Each book in this middle-grade series by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear also features tips for kids starting or running their first businesses, plus a profile of a real-life tween girl CEO.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

176 pages, Paperback

Published August 22, 2023

About the author

Brian Weisfeld has been building businesses his entire life. In elementary school, he bought 95 pounds of gummy bears and hired his friends to sell them. As a teen, he made and sold mixtapes (ask your parents what those are), sorted baseball cards (he got paid in cards), babysat four days a week after school, and sold nuts and dried fruit (and more gummy bears) in a neighborhood store. As an adult, Brian helped build a number of well-known billion-dollar companies including IMAX Corporation and Coupons.com. Brian is the Founder and Chief Squad Officer of The Startup Squad, an initiative dedicated to empowering girls to realize their potential, whatever their passions. Brian lives in Silicon Valley and can often be found eating gummy bears with his wife while watching his two daughters sell lemonade from the end of their driveway.

Visit www.thestartupsquad.com to watch videos of amazing girl CEOs, get activities and guides for the series, and see tips and resources for your child's first business.

Visit www.youretheboss.com to download a business plan template for kids to help your kids start a business and learn to think like an entrepreneur.

Learn more about The Startup Squad at @thestartupsquad on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and more!

Reviews

[Rajiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

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I read “Party Problems” from the series, and “Face the Music” did not disappoint. This book revolves around Didi, who mainly finds herself in a dilemma where she plans a wedding event.

Firstly, the author provides good tips and tricks on how to handle such situations. It is always best to work as a team rather than juggling everything yourself and lose your balance. As Didi finds herself drowning in work, she realizes that she needs the help of her friends. Moreover, the author also motivates the reader to turn their passion into a business. I enjoyed the alternate storylines with Resa and her tennis lessons fiasco and Amelia with her secret project.

Similarly, like “Face the Music,” I also loved Val’s character, even though she makes a brief appearance. I hope the team considers Val as part of their group, as I would love a book focusing on her! Also, the book gives excellent tips on starting a business plan and setting up any project professionally so that it is easy to monitor. Also, Didi is adorable in the lead. As an Indian, I loved the Indian references the author made and her relationship with her family. I also chuckled at the Sheila Orbacher references.

However, again, my criticism is on not giving all the characters a chance in the spotlight. This time, there is hardly any mention of Harriet, and I wished the author had made her prominent. She is the funny, quirky one in the group, and I felt that was present in the previous novel but missing in this one.

Overall, “Party Problems” is another excellent addition to “The Startup Squad” series, and I hope they continue to release many more books.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
The latest in this series continues the character development. Didi is the main focus as she wants to earn money to purchase some art software. Her mom steps up to help and gets her several jobs that build until she becomes a wedding planner for a wedding taking place in a week. Of course the rest of the squad steps up to help and the wedding makes it to number one on the video networks.
Plenty of humor as the girls interact plus some typical drama expected at the middle school level. They are relatable and feel like realistic characters. Readers will identify with them and see themselves in similar situations. Love the encouragement to explore entrepreneurship at this age. The informative text at the end encourages further exploration of business options.

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third addition of the Startup Squad the girls have come up with another idea. The great thing is that they are still friends and see an important need. Harriet would like to create a chew toy for Skins. Resa would like to teach tennis lessons. Didi had an idea about art but decided that would be for after college, instead she got a job designing place cards for a wedding. As a result of that and the wedding planner falling ill, she ends up planning the entire events. Not wanting to ruin the special day, she wonders if the squad can help her make it a success.

This engaging addition is a great way to get readers following along as the characters get better at being friends and entrepreneurs. Parents and teacher can use this tool as a read-a-loud to teach friendship, work ethic and creativity. The back pages share a story of a real-life girl entrepreneur.

[Cassie Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've loved The Startup Squad books from the start, and was glad to see another! This time Didi is the main focus as she wants to earn money to purchase some (pricy) art software for herself. Her mom is able to get her several jobs until she ends up becoming a wedding planner by accident for a wedding. Not to mention, the wedding is taking place in a week. As drama ensues like with all middle schoolers, the rest of the squad steps up to help and the wedding as it become viral. This was another quick, fun read! I cannot wait to add it next to our other Startup Squad books in our classroom library!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is story about a group of friends and the creative ways they develop to earn money for their own needs and projects. Didi is an artist and has an opportunity to create center pieces and name cards for a wedding. An opportunity comes for her to become the wedding planner but is this too great a challenge for a middle school girl? It will take all of her resources to meet the challenge and the help of her friends.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free through Goodreads First Read.

This book is a good addition to the series. I like how each look kind of focus on a different kid and their interests in family. This book focused on Didi and we got to see more of her interest and family. It was also nice to see some growth with some of the background characters from the previous books.

[Heather]

http://littleredreads.com/2021/05/the...

[Victoria B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt stressed out reading about how Didi was stressed out.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

This installment of the series puts the girls in their most extreme circumstances yet. Didi gets a side job designing wedding place cards and somehow ends up in charge of the whole wedding! Okay, so adults will need to really suspend a little disbelief here (why on earth would someone put a 12-year-old in charge of their wedding planning?), but I have a feeling kids won't care about the believability aspect. Just like in the previous books, the girls find themselves having a myriad of problems with their business venture, but in this case the problems aren't of their own making---they're dealing with the leftover issues from someone else who didn't do their job properly. Let's face it, this can be a realistic circumstance. Sometimes we have to clean up other people's messes. And I loved that the girls banded together to help Didi when she was feeling overwhelmed. As always, teamwork is a big part of the story. I also loved how Didi discovered where her true passions do (and do not) lie, and she saw value in the fact that she had tried something new, even if it was only to discover that it wasn't really for her.

Another fun read! And, as always, I love the business tips at the back of the book.

***Disclosure: I received these books from the publisher via Media Masters Publicity for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***