Suki is assigned to run the student council Valentine's Day fundraiser at school with JJ: her former bestie turned worst enemy. He and Suki have been ultra-competitive about everything for years―there's no way they can work together. In fact, they almost immediately resolve to hold competing fundraisers.
Meanwhile, Suki longs for a dog, but her parents won't let her get one. Befriending a stray at the park (who she names Cinnamon Bun) leads her to volunteer at the local animal shelter, which becomes her new home away from home.
But then the fundraiser gets out of control, and the shelter might close. Suki is determined to save the day, but she can’t do it alone… and will she ever get a dog of her own?
#1 New York Times Best Selling Author, Stacia Deutsch has written more than 300 books.
In addition to her award-winning creative chapter book series entitled Blast to the Past, Stacia has also ghostwritten for a popular girls' mystery series, published non-fiction texts, and penned a young adult romantic comedy called In the Stars. She has also penned popular titles for Girls who Code Books 1 & 2 and several Spirit: Riding Free books.
Additionally, Stacia has written junior movie tie-in novelizations for summer blockbuster films, including HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, the New York Times Best Seller: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS JR. MOVIE NOVEL, and THE SMURFS MOVIE NOVELS.
Check out Stacia's website for more titles!
A bit more about me: ✥ Lives on a Ranch with 4 horses, 2 cats, 2 dogs and a lot of lizards ✥ Has an Masters in Fine Arts from Western State Colorado in Genre Fiction ✥ Was recently awarded a Doctor of Divinity honorary degree from Hebrew Union College ✥ Grew up in Denver, lived in Cincinnati, and now lives in California
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange program- for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ☕ Sucki is a young girl that's been competing with JJ since the 4th grade. This school year she wants to do the same as last year for the fund raiser for the schools yearly dance by selling Cupid Cards. Except that this year JJ wants to help and says that he knows how to sell even more Cupid Cards.
Sucki tries to work with JJ but all they seem to do is bump heads. So they both decide to do things their own way. I also have to add that Suki has always wanted a dog. After volunteering at a shelter and finding out some troubling news. She decides that it's better to work with JJ and raise more money for a good cause than keep on fighting for something that happened years ago.
A story of friendship, broken friendships, competitions, grudges, and puppies.🐶Cinnamon Bun Besties is a unique story teaching children about moving on and not holding grudges. And how working together is the best thing than working alone.
I received this book from #kidlitexchange to read in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Cinnamon Bun Besties by Stacia Deutsch. Best friends, mortal enemies, competition, puppies, Valentine's day, crushes, and middle graders learning life's hard lessons and becoming their own person all wrapped up in one neat little package! The Swirl Novels are great reads for middle grade students and I am so happy I get to read them! Suki learns competition and holding grudges aren't how to get things accomplished and she has to learn to be a better person and friend in Cinnamon Bun Besties. This great book releases in March 2018! Review also posted on Instagram @jasonnstacie, Library Thing, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Go Read, Amazon, and my blog at readsbystacie.com
The Valentine’s Day fundraiser is right around the corner, where cards and candy will be sold and all profit goes towards a marvelous school dance, and Suki is bursting with anticipation. That’s why no one objects to Suki leading the fundraiser, much to her delight. However, JJ- Suki’s competitor and ex-best friend- volunteers himself to be in charge of the fundraiser. This causes both of them to be the leaders of the fundraiser, much to both of their disdains. So, instead of working together they decide to turn it into a fierce competition between the two, the winner being whoever raises the most money.
At home, however, Suki has an intense yearning for a dog, but her parents refuse to let her have one, out of fear that she isn’t responsible enough. While she is in the park one day with her friend, she spots a puppy, sparking an adoration of the creature and a determination to have it as her own. Nevertheless, the puppy eludes Suki’s attempts to be caught.
Eventually Suki’s worry for the puppy leads her to a shelter. She soon discovers her love of the place, and becomes a volunteer, as well as learning of the shelter’s financial difficulties. This gives rise to a noble idea Suki has; donate the revenue from the Valentine’s Day fundraiser to the shelter, instead of the dance!
Suddenly the fundraiser means much more, and Suki must learn to put aside her differences with JJ, for the sake of the shelter. Will she and JJ ever learn to get along, or will their history be too much? And for how long can she ignore her interest in him? Try Cinnamon Bun Besties as your next book to find out.
Cinnamon Bun Besties is charming and heartwarming story, that teaches children the value of friendship, and that you shouldn’t judge someone before you understand them. Sometimes misunderstanding is the only thing preventing a wonderful friendship. Regarding the way the book was written, the phraseology of the book was intelligible and easy to understand. While the writing was extremely detailed and captivating, which made this book even harder to put down. The story seems to take place during modern times, adding to the relatability of the plot. Based on the book being an easy read, and the touching story, I believe 9 years old and up would be a fitting age range. After reading Cinnamon Bun Besties I found it thoroughly enjoyable for multiple reasons. From the way it was written to the pleasant plot, I find it to be a good read, making it worthy of five stars. Reviewed by Tessa H, Age 12, Oklahoma Central Mensa
@kidlitexchange #partner —— All opinions are my own.
This is the second book that I’ve read from The Swirl Novels. The covers for all are incredibly adorable and the stories are just as sweet!! This one centers around Suki and her friends as they prepare to sell Cupid Candy Cards as a Valentine’s Day fundraiser. This year she has been paired with her worst rival to coordinate the event. The two definitely have different ideas, strategies and quickly find themselves competing on who can raise the most money. A book full of long lost friendships, misunderstood drama, responsibility, the importance of teamwork and cute crushes.
There is also a storyline that follows Suki and her desire to be a dog owner. I really enjoyed this part and I think many young readers will be able to relate to her feelings. Suki’s parents believe that she needs to show more responsibility in order to care for a pet. She’s incredibly disheartened, especially when she falls for an adorable dog in the park. This leads her to a local shelter where she starts volunteering and finds a wonderful way to give back to her community. Having a new puppy myself, I liked reading about her interest in dog training.
Overall, this is a wonderful middle grade book. The chapters are short and the storyline flows quickly. It includes a lot of realistic feelings and situations. I’d recommend it in a heartbeat. Looking forward to reading the rest of the book in the series.
Thank you @kidlitexchange #partner for the advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for Cinnamon Bun Besties by @staciadeutsch_writes This book definitely has it all...besties, enemies, first crushes, competitions, teamwork, volunteering, responsibility, and yummy cinnamon drinks! ☕️ Suki is heading up the school’s Valentine’s Day card fundraiser and has been paired up with her former bestie, turned enemy, JJ. They have been super competitive for the last few years and of course have two totally different ideas of how this fundraiser will go! Suki also dreams of having a dog of her own and when she finds a sweet little dog in the park, who shares her love of Cinnamon Bun Swirls, she wants nothing more than to catch the little dog and take her home, even though she knows her parents won’t allow it! She then begins volunteering at a local animal shelter and it quickly becomes her home away from home! She learns though that the shelter is in trouble and might be closing. Also, the card fundraiser has gone crazy and her and JJ can’t agree on anything! Will Suki be able to figure out how to save both the fundraiser for their school dance, and the animal shelter? A great middle grade read! I will definitely be ordering this for my library! 💗
In this book we meet Suki and her rival in everything JJ who wants to take her place in helping to sell Cupid Cards at school for their valentine's school council project.
Suki really wants a dog to and when she meets a stray she instantly loves it especially as it loves her favourite Cinnamon drink, so she calls the dog after it!
However as she discovers JJ knows Cinnamon Bun she finds herself feeling heartbroken however another dog at the shelter catches her eye for being the longest resident there and as she tries to sell her Cupid Cards at school, she realises she can do a good deed and possibly save the shelter from having to close down forever...
I love stories about saving animals and this is a great Valentine's book with a sweet hearted story and lovable characters.
Thank you to the #KidLitExchange network for the review copy of Cinnamon Bun Besties. All opinions are my own.
I am LOVING the Swirl Novels and I'm so excited that I got to read Cinnamon Bun Besties. :) <3
Cinnamon Bun Besties revolves around Suki. She's heavily involved in the student council and last year their Valentine's Day fundraiser was the best it's ever been! She's going to work to top that, but she gets partnered with JJ. Suki and JJ used to be best friends, but now they are sworn enemies. How are they going to work together on this project?!
Outside of school, Suki's main mission is to convince her parents that she is responsible enough to get a dog. After she meets Cinnamon Bun (a stray dog that she names), she decides to volunteer at the local animal shelter, just in case Cinnamon Bun gets brought in. She ends up spending a ton of time there and learns a lot of lessons.
The Valentine's Day fundraiser becomes a giant mess and Suki overhears that the shelter might close. What is she going to do? Can she do it alone?
This book, like the other Swirl Novels I've read, was great. The author had great character development and I found myself rooting for Suki to get things figured out. I wanted her to crush her goal for the Valentine's Day fundraiser and I wanted her to be able to get that dog she loved so much! We really got to see her grow up throughout the novel as she learns a lot of tough lessons.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes middle grade novels, especially young girls. Also, anyone who has read and enjoyed any of the other Swirl Novels will love this one as well. It's a story of friendship, crushes, responsibilities, and life lessons. Very well written and I can't wait to read the others!
A perfect book for February as it is centered around Valentine’s Day. Suki wasn’t my favorite character in the Swirl series, but I still thought the middle school crush aspects were well done. A lot of the other events in the book didn’t seem terribly realistic, but this was still a fun read.
Cute. Maybe a little boring. I’m glad Suki and JJ end up together. But they first have a fiery competition over who can sell the most valentines for a school fund raiser. Turns out they work better together. C+
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.