Ren worries her parents are keeping secrets in this seventh book in the Cupcake Diaries: The New Batch chapter book series, the little sister series to the bestselling Cupcake Diaries. Includes black and white illustrations throughout and eye-catching glitter on the cover!

Ren couldn’t be happier that her move to a new school and town has been going so well! But when she gets home from a big day at school, her parents are acting strange and distracted. Ren starts to worry they’re hiding something big from her. Could it be another move?! To get to the bottom of it, Ren and her cupcake friends throw them a special surprise party with cupcakes she knows her mom and dad will love, but will it work?

Excerpt

Chapter 1 Test Taking

“Time’s up, class!”

Whew! I had just finished answering the last question on my history test with a few seconds to spare. Two down, three to go, I thought as I handed in my test and walked down the hallway for lunch.

Test-taking week at Fenton Street School was no joke. My whole grade was getting grilled on math, science, English, history, and gym. Yesterday, I had my gym exam—so easy! After history this morning, all I had left today was my science test.

When I reached the cafeteria, I saw my friends Emily, Ethan, Natalie, and Alana sitting at our usual table. We’re all part of the Mini Cupcake Club, and we normally baked treats for different events.

But this week, we’d all been studying hard for our tests. So that meant no baking.

“How was history?” asked Natalie as I sat down and took out my lunch.

“Not too hard,” I replied. “You’re taking the math test after lunch, right?”

Natalie nodded. “Stephanie helped me study.”

That made me happy to hear. Natalie and her twin sister, Stephanie, had recently gone through a rough patch, but they were a lot better now. It was awesome that Stephanie was helping Natalie with her schoolwork. For a moment, I wished I had a sibling to help me study.

“I really miss baking,” said Emily, biting into her sandwich.

“No orders for two weeks while we study. Grades matter,” Alana reminded us.

“I know,” Emily said with a sigh. “But I still miss it.”

Before lunch ended, my friends and I promised to hop on a quick video call when we got home to see how our latest tests went. I headed over to my next class, and before I knew it, the day was almost over, and it was time for my science exam.

I read through the questions.

I couldn’t help but feel so proud of myself—I knew every single answer and was one of the first to finish!

As I waited for the last bell, I thought about the past few months. Ever since starting at Fenton, everything had been great. I was doing well in school, and I had amazing friends.

When the final bell rang, I jumped up. I couldn’t wait to tell my parents that I’d aced my exams! Plus, it was my parents’ fifteen-year wedding anniversary this weekend. Maybe we’ll do something fun at the end of test week to celebrate, I thought.

About The Author

Coco Simon

From cupcakes to ice cream and donuts! When she’s not daydreaming about yummy snacks, Coco Simon edits children’s books and has written close to one hundred books for children, tweens, and young adults, which is a lot less than the number of cupcakes, ice cream cones, and donuts she’s eaten. She is the author of the Cupcake Diaries, Cupcake Diaries: The New Batch, the Sprinkle Sundays, and the Donut Dreams series. Her newest series is Mia in the Middle.