Close to Famous

4Q- This is a character-driven book with a story that is interesting, but slow to unfold.
3P- The lack of action might make this book appealing only to a smaller audience.

Twelve year old Foster and her mother have to leave Memphis, TN in a hurry. On their tail is her mama's boyfriend and Elvis impersonator, Huck. They find a great spot to land in small Culpepper, WV, where Foster's love of baking helps her make an indelible mark on the town. Bauer always creates

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such great young heroines and Foster is no exception.

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Joan Bauer has done a beautiful job! This is a delightful story of a young girl who dreams big.

Foster McFee is in 6th grade and she is an amazing baker. The only thing keeping her down is that she can't read. Her Dad died in Iraq and now it's just her and her Mama. Her Mama sings backup for an

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Elvis impersonator...for now.

Before long, they're on the road - Foster with her baking supplies and her Mama with a black eye. They end up in the tiny town of Culpepper, West Virginia . There's a lot going on for such a small town and Foster is in the midst of it.

Foster is a strong character and will be great for young girls!

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A story that I enjoyed quite a bit, even though it is light and obviously intended for a young audience. The story reminded me a little of a Judy Blume book. The main character, Foster, was interesting, and spoke about cupcakes so much that I started to crave some myself. I think a kid from age 8

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and up would like this book.

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Reading a Joan Bauer book is like drinking a huge glass of lemonade on a hot day. Refreshing, delicious and relaxing.

Bauer creates small town characters that are quirky and memorable. Each of her books has a plucky heroine who overcomes adversity to become a better person. And this one is no

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exception.

Foster McFee has lost her father in the Iraq war and her mother has taken up with an unsavory Elvis impersonator. When he abuses her mother, Foster and her mother flee town and start a new life in Culpepper, West Virginia. Foster's talent for baking, her struggle with learning to read and her slow acceptance of her father's death all play a role in her growth.

Tender, funny and full of the right amount of positivity without veering towards saccharine, Bauer's books are always a treat. Enjoy!

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Fatherless Foster McFee's dream is to be on the Food Network, with her own show, just like Sonny Kroll. Foster is a very talented baker, who loves to invent new flavors of muffins and cupcakes especially. There are more than a few hurdles in her way, though: she has never been able to read because

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of a learning disability, she misses her soldier father who died in Iraq, and she and her mother have just fled Memphis in the middle of the night to escape her mother's abusive boyfriend. When they land in the tiny town of Culpepper, West Virginia, they discover a town full of quirky, kind people who have dreams of their own. Foster decides to try to make some money, and starts selling muffins and cupcakes at Angry Wayne's Bar and Grill. She meets Macon, who wants to be a documentary filmmaker, and he introduces her to the local celebrity, Miss Charleena, who was a movie star in Hollywood. Miss Charleena decides that Foster needs some help in reading, and once everyone starts helping someone else, the community comes together. Not everything goes well, though, and that togetherness is tested. Excellent realistic fiction and wonderful characters! Warning -- the cupcake and muffin descriptions are going to make you hungry. 6th grade and up.

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This is a great and heartwarming story for any reader. It may be especially meaningful if the reader is struggling with a learning disability or eyeopening and give the reader a better understanding if they don't have a learning disability. It highlights the struggles a student might be facing and

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how they are feeling, and encourages the reader to face their fears and struggles even when it can be extremely difficult. This story also encourages the reader to follow their passions and dreams and to never give up hope. I liked that this book also shows the strength Foster's mother had when she left her abusive relationship, it can give hope and courage to those facing similar situations.

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Close to famous is about a girl, Foster McFee. Foster McFee and her mother have to move to Culpepper, West Virgnia to run away from Foster's mother crazy ex-boyfrien, Hank. Hank is an Elvis-impersonator and hits Foster's mother. When Foster comes to Culpepper, she starts baking and people buy her

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baked goods each day. While in Culpepper, Foster meets a Hollywood star, Charleena Hendley, who moved to Culpepper after a big divorce. Charleena teaches Foster how to read. Soon, Hank comes to Culpepper and tries to hurt Foster and her mother. Foster's mother finally finds the courage to press charges against Hank. Charleena returns to Hollywood and Foster becomes a famous baker in Culpepper.
I really liked this book because Foster stayed strong no matter what. After her father died in Iraq, Foster's mother wasn't so sure what to do. I liked how Foster kept baking, kept her dream of becoming a famous baker alive. This book had brought tears to my eyes at one point. No book has ever done that to me before. I loved how the author made the emotions so realistic when Foster thought she had lost everything. I would love to read more books by this author.

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Grade 6 and up Heartwarming mother and daughter story. Foster, is a little girl with a big dream of becoming a tv cooking star but landing in a small dying town that dominated by a prison. ( Culpepper West Virginia) makes that dream seem like a long shot.
Running away from her mother's Elvis

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impersonator boyfriend, they leave everything behind including Foster's Dad dog tag tags and letter.
Believing a good cup cake will cure anything, Foster meets Miss Carleena, a famous actresses who discovers Foster's secret shame that she can't read.

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4Q
4P

Foster is a spunky girl that dreams of having her own cooking show. Macon wants to be a documentary film-maker. Foster's mother longs to be a lead singer, and Miss Charleena plans for the day when she will return to Hollywood. Everyone has a dream, but none of them are even close to

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famous--yet. Uplifting and full of heart, this book is an enjoyable read for middle-schoolers who love reading about characters and their relationships with one another. Bauer's portrayal of the relationships between characters really elevates the quality and enjoyability of the book!

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3P 4Q
Foster's father died in Iraq a few years ago and cooking/baking was the one thing that saved Foster. But after she abruptly moves from Memphis to West Virginia with her mom after her mom's now ex-boyfriend hit her mother, Foster again turns to baking as a release and an escape as she finds her

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way in this new town. This story covers some very mature topics- death, domestic abuse, marital affairs, dreams deferred, and Elvis- which may not be appealing for all readers. But with so many realistic themes and events, there may be something that every child can relate to and feel connected to Foster or the myriad of townfolk. Yet, the conversational and easygoing tone (through Foster's voice) draws in the reader and may keep a reluctant reader until the very end. Humorous and wise bits are scattered throughout the book, which make even the most troublesome and hard parts easier to get through.

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A very sweet story, solidly tween. I'd recommend for fans of Sarah Dessen.

this book shows that you can solve anything with cupcakes, including loneliness and disorders

Twelve-year-old Foster wants to be the first kid with a cooking show on the Food Network. Her specialty is baked goods: muffins, cupcakes, etc., which she sells to a local restaurant. She is a whiz at baking, but a poor student. When she and her mother have to flee suddenly from an abusive

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ex-boyfriend, they end up in tiny Culpepper, West Virginia. Initially resistant, Foster begins to make friends and put down roots.

One of Bauer's weaker books, but worth reading. Foster is an appealing heroine.

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After reading this book, I really wanted a cupcake!
Foster McFee is talented as a baker who loves the Food Channel. She and her mother have fled their Memphis home after Foster's mother's boyfriend, and Elvis impersonator, after he is rough with her mother. They end up in the small town of

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Culpepper, West Virginia. It's a town with colorful characters that has fallen on some tough times after the prison opened in the town doesn't deliver on the promises of jobs and prosperity. Foster while really talented in the kitchen, has a secret that brings her shame, she can't read. When Miss Charleena, a former Hollywood star, finds out her secret, she starts to work on learning to read and finds that her new friends want to help her in her quest. A touching, quick read with a lovely message and sweet heart.

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This is an author who deals with serious subjects. Similar to Almost Home, Bauer once again presents the reader with a very strong, spunky young lady whose mother made poor choices which impact on her.

Fleeing from Memphis, Tennessee, Foster and her mother attempt to escape from Hank, an Elvis

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impersonator. Hank is abusive, narcissistic, and extremely immature.

When Foster and her mother stop in Culpepper, West Virginia, they find a cast of characters who are poor, down and out, very caring, kind and posses dreams.

The owner of the town diner, Angry Wayne has a chip on his shoulder, he would like the owners of the huge jail recently located in Culpepper to come through with their promise of jobs and opportunity. A young man named Mason dreams of making documentary films, but he doesn't even own a camera. Recipient of a Grammy and an Emmy, Ms. Carleena was nominated twice for academy awards, but failed to win the prize. She now hides away in Culpepper away from the drama of Hollywood.

Foster's mother would like to have the courage to shine in the spot light instead of singing back up for near do wells.

Living in a camper, Foster and her mother are embraced by local town folk. Foster is ashamed that she is illiterate. Foster loves to bake and her dream is to host her own TV cooking show. If only she could read, she might be able to decipher some of the recipes in a cook book.

There is poignancy, humor and many words of wisdom in the pages of this book.

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Cute, heartwarming, inspiring, will make you want cupcakes. Joan Bauer's heroines get out there and make their own success. This reminded me of Okay For Now -- the writing is simpler and less sublime, but the protagonists are tangled up in a similar quantity of issues (some of which are almost

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identical), they have big personalities and strong voices that will crack you up, and the endings are just a little too good to be true.

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another in the long list of favorite books by Joan Bauer

Foster loves to bake - she watches the Food Network all the time and memorizes the recipes. She has to, she can't read them. When she and her mother leave Memphis suddenly due to her mother's over zealous ex-boyfriend, Foster tries to start over in her new town by doing what she does best: baking.

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The town quickly realizes that Foster has real talent, and she has the drive needed to learn to read.

I really liked how Foster worked with what she had to make the biggest difference she could. It felt "unconventional" in the fact that baking was her forte, and usually you don't see that in children or children's books, but it is a great way to get young readers thinking about what "unconventional" talent they might have.

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Foster and her mother move quickly to West Virginia to escape an abusive boyfriend. She learns that moving to a new home is the best way to start over and that cooking does a whole lot more than just ease people's hunger, but brings them together and gives them hope. Very well written story about

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finding yourself and growing up.

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All I can really say about this book was that it was cute. A nice short feel-good read. Go cupcakes!

This book was an enjoyable read. It is the story of a 12 year old girl named Foster, whose life in many ways is far from ideal. Foster lost her father to the war in Iraq, leaves her hometown of Memphis suddenly due to her mother’s abusive boyfriend, and hides a very personal secret which limits

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her in school and holds her back in everyday life. The big secret is that Foster can not read but she has developed ways to cope – methods to remember things, a list of excuses to use to avoid reading and writing in front of others, and a genuine, magnetic personality that touches the heart of everyone she meets. She becomes endeared in her new community due to her caring, selfless personality and her fabulous ability to bake the very best cupcakes and muffins. The story tells of how she cultivates friendships and acceptance in the small community and struggles to overcome her inability and fear of reading with the help of her new friends.
The author did an excellent job developing the type of quirky, yet interesting characters you may find in a small, rural community. Each is likable despite their personal flaws. The author is so good at making her characters come alive in the dialogues, I felt I could hear their individual voices. The author incorporates current trends in this work – the growing love for the Food Network and cupcake baking in particular, and the love of our teens in recording events and producing their own films on small personal devices. The portrayed difficulties and emotions of the young girl will cause even reluctant and slow readers to empathize with her and read until they learn of the outcome of her struggles. An excellent, feel good book which touches on issues of particular importance to teens; acceptance, friendship, perseverance, and self worth.

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This powerfully written novel by Joan Bauer tells the story of young Foster, who moves from Memphis with her single mother (her father was killed in the war on Iraq) to a very small rural town, and attempts to cope and to fit in, all while hiding the secret that she has a severe learning disability

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and cannot read. One of her favorite mechanisms for coping with life and change is baking cupcakes, and she dreams of having her own show on the Food Network someday. Many quirky and unusual characters come into Foster's life, including one who will eventually teach her to read, and they all play important roles in helping her to build her identity and their own. This would be an excellent novel to read with upper elementary or middle school students, teaching them the power of acceptance, forgiveness, and friendship.

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Foster and her Mama move to a small town that is in trouble but the town takes them in and helps them both grow and become stronger people. Foster and Mama also help those in town. Love the food angle. Lots of fun.