Bake Sale

By Sara Varon. Published by First Second. 

Softcover, 160 pages, Colour, 2011. 

Cupcake's life is pretty good. He's got his bakery, and his band, and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He's sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home.

Sara Varon returns with an ageless tale as dreamy and evocative as her break-out hit graphic novel Robot Dreams. At once deeply metaphorical and hilariously literal, Bake Sale is a story for anyone who's ever looked for an easy answer to life's intractable difficulties. It's also a cookbook: Varon includes seven delicious recipes, from classic cupcakes to sugared flower petals to marzipan.

"[Bake Sale] may be the most adorable graphic novel of the year." —USA Today

"Another beautiful homage to friendship." —Booklist

"An offbeat story about the sacrifices made for friends, about the very everydayness of such acts and the pitfalls and pleasures in their wake." — Kirkus Reviews

"This book has a will-o’-the-wisp charm and a distinctive, quirky voice." —SLJ