Vote for Cupcakes! by Sheryl Berk Page A

exclaimed. “And I could be the First Friend.”
    â€œThink about it,” Mr. G added. “Getting involved in student government is the best way to bring about positive change at Weber Day.”
    â€¢ • •
    That afternoon at the weekly meeting of Peace, Love, and Cupcakes, Delaney was having presidential daydreams while Kylie Carson, the club’s president, went over the details of their upcoming orders.
    â€œBy the end of next week, we have to make eight hundred cupcakes for the Blakely Elementary School Winter Fest,” she read out of her binder. “I told Principal Fontina it would be no problem. It helps if we stay on her good side.”
    The club’s adviser, Herbie Dubois, nodded approvingly. He also taught Blakely’s robotics class, and he had a knack for getting into trouble with the administration himself. Almost all of his inventions went up in smoke. The last one, something he called the Frost-inator, had exploded and left chocolate icing all over the walls and ceiling of the teachers’ lounge. It took the club hours to clean it up.
    â€œDid Principal Fontina give you any specifics?” he asked.
    Kylie checked the order form. “Nope. She just wrote ‘make them fabulous!’ As if Peace, Love, and Cupcakes would do anything less.”
    She turned to her fellow cupcakers. “So what flavor would be wintry and wonderful?”
    Lexi Poole’s hand shot up. “How about gingerbread? Gingerbread men are my fave things to bake—next to cupcakes of course. I could make mini men on top of every cupcake with button eyes and bow ties made out of candy.” Lexi was Peace, Love, and Cupcakes’ resident artist and a whiz at making their sweets look special.
    â€œThat’s a good idea,” Kylie said, taking notes. “Any others?”
    Sadie Harris, another one of the club’s original members, piped up. “I think we should do sugar plum cupcakes,” she said. “You know, like the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker ballet?”
    Kylie looked puzzled. Sadie was an expert on basketball—not ballet. “That’s a cool idea too. Who knew you liked sugar plum fairies, Sadie?”
    â€œI saw The Nutcracker at the New York City Ballet over Christmas with my grandma,” Sadie replied. “At first, I thought I’d be bored. But it was pretty cool. That fairy had some moves. I’d like to go up against her on a b-ball court! Just not on my toes…”
    Kylie giggled. “Okay, any other suggestions?”
    Jenna Medina closed her eyes tight and smacked her lips together. When it came to baking, she had the golden taste buds. “Candy cane cupcakes,” she said confidently. “With peppermint buttercream frosting.”
    â€œYes!” Kylie exclaimed. “That’s perfect!” The rest of the girls all nodded in agreement.
    â€œI could do white chocolate skates on top,” Lexi added, pulling out her sketchbook and colored pencils. “And sparkly blue snowflake sprinkles…oh, and mini candy canes, of course!” She drew a white cupcake with a swirl of white-and-red frosting on top. “How cool would this look?”
    â€œ So cool!” Sadie said approvingly. “And the display needs to be cool too—literally. What about displaying the cupcakes on ice? Or having a giant snowman hold them?” Her dad was a contractor, and there was nothing Sadie could dream up that he couldn’t construct.
    â€œLove! Can you talk to your dad?” Kylie asked. “Ask him how we could build something snowy and keep it from melting.”
    â€œI can take a crack at it,” Herbie volunteered. “Perhaps a little liquid nitrogen…or a hydrated artificial polymer?”
    Kylie had no idea what Herbie was talking about, but he looked so eager to help. He always had an idea of how to “improve” PLC’s cupcake baking, frosting, or display with