Final Countdown Friday: Candy Apple Books

Candy Apple Books are fun, middle grade books published by Scholastic. They are written by a wide variety of authors but all of fun and fluffy reads… and some even have glitter on the covers! I remember LOVING these books when I was younger, and even though I don’t have nearly all of them (you can see a complete list of the books here), I thought I would count down the books I have read. Here’s my countdown:

7.) Totally Crushed by Eliza Willard

In Totally Crushed, Annabel receives a red carnation from her best friend Sam on Valentine’s Day. Things get complicated fast because Annabel doesn’t like Sam as more than a friend, but her best friend does. I don’t know if it was the hair on the cover that reminded me of my mother’s graduation photo from the 80s or that I read this when I started growing out of these books, but this was my least favorite of my Candy Apple Books.

6.) The Babysitting Wars by Mimi McCoy

In The Babysitting Wars, Kaitlyn is the best babysitter in her town until a new girl moves to the area. When the richest family in town needs a babysitter, Kaitlyn will do anything to defend her title. I loved the cover of this book when I was younger and always wanted an outfit like Nola (on the right). I think this was one of my least favorites because I thought Kaitlyn went a little too far with her war on Nola. I definitely would recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Disney’s recent remake of Adventures in Babysitting.

5.) Drama Queen by Laura Bergen

In Drama Queen, best friends Charlie and Nicole audition for their school’s musical. Between babysitting her little sister (and her little sister’s imaginary friend), battling with the theater diva, and sneaking glances at the cute male lead, the theater world is a lot more crazy than Charlie expected. I think one of the reasons I loved this book was that I got the lead in my middle school play, so I related to all the drama in this play.

4.) Miss Popularity by Francesco Sedita

In Miss Popularity, Cassie Knight is the most popular girl at her Texas school. When her father’s job relocates the family to main, Cassie finds herself on the outs of her new prep school. Even though I only read this book recently (see my review here), I loved Cassie’s style and spunk! I really enjoyed how Cassie stayed true to herself, even when ridiculed by her new classmates.

3.) The Boy Next Door by Laura Dower

In The Boy Next Door, Taryn and Jeff are best friends… until they go to middle school. Taryn and Jeff slowly start growing apart and when Jeff makes fun of Taryn’s new glasses, their friendship screeches to a halt. Can they save their friendship even though they changing? I LOVED this book when I was younger, evident by the severely broken spine. This book is SO middle school and I love it.

2.) How to be a Girly Girl in Just Ten Days by Lisa Papademetriou

In How to be a Girly Girl in Just Ten Days, Nick wants to ditch her tomboy style and become a girly girl to impress her crush Ben. By her best friend’s suggestion, Nick goes through a complete makeover, but struggles to remain true to herself. Like with The Boy Next Door, my copy of this book is very worn from rereading it so much. I was obsessed with What Not to Wear when I was younger, so I loved the makeup aspect of this book. The message of this book is also great because Nick ultimately decides to stay true to herself.

1.) The Accidental Cheerleader by Mimi McCoy

In The Accidental Cheerleader, Sophie’s best friend forces her to try out for the cheerleading squad. Sophie ends up making it, but her best friend doesn’t. When massive drama unfolds before a big game, Sophie must choose between her best friend and her new squad. One of the reasons I loved this book was I really connected to the main character Sophie. Like Sophie, I was extremely shy, but also a cheerleader. I also loved all the drama within this book and could see it actually happening in real life!

 

Which books bring you back to middle school?

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