P.S. Send More Cookies

Gr 3–6—Four girls and their counselor become friends at the Moonlight Ranch Summer Camp in Arizona. Wishing to continue their friendship, they form the Secret Cookie Club and agree to send letters and cookies to one another whenever one needs a friendship boost (much like in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series). Romance anxiety prompts Hannah, the Flowerpot counselor, to bake cookies in hopes of soothing her broken heart. She mails a box to Grace, who desperately needs some kind words in the wake of a disastrous dogsitting experience. This leads to a whirlwind of cookie boxes and letter writing. Whether it's strawberry cookies for Emma, who's dealing with the loss of her beloved great-grandmother, or lemon cookies for Olivia, who is trying to leverage her social media profile, the treats come at just the right time. And even though Lucy's cinnamon cookies arrive underbaked, they are perfect for when her estranged father reappears. Freeman addresses issues such as honesty, depression, grief, and the pressures of the digital age with tact. Separate sections allow each girl to tell her story, though the characters' voices are similar. The girls come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Hannah and Lucy are white, Grace is Chinese American, Emma is Jewish, and Olivia is African American), and almost all come from privileged, upper—middle class homes. Lucy, though also a resident of posh Beverly Hills, CA, is described as less fortunate (unlike her peers, who have live-in help and attend private schools, Lucy and her family shop at thrift stores and she pays her own way through summer camp). Cookie recipes are included in the back of the book.