Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets by Eric Luper

When an advertisement at the public library alerts them to a sailboat race sponsored by the Cupcake Cadets, they're thrilled by the possibility of a 500-dollar prize, but disappointed that they can't enter because they're not girls. He and his best friend, Slater, are working on his dad's boat when they aren't supposed to be, and next thing they know, it needs some pretty substantial repairs - to the tune of $470! Even if the boys pool their allowances, they know they don't have that much, so they start searching for other ways to bring in some cash. Jeremy Bender is eleven years old, and he has a serious problem. Girls will appreciate that they perform better than boys in certain activities, while boys will get a lesson in what it's like to be a girl. But worse than that is that they’ve been found out! Now how will they earn enough money to repair Jeremy's father's boat? This humorous story is recommended for readers in grades 3-6. They hadn’t even begun to build theirs yet. Their attempt to earn the Wilderness Survival Caliber Badge was a disaster from pitching the tent to finding out their tent-mate Margaret has won the Windjammer Whirl three years in-a-row and is working on her third prototype for this year’s vessel. And the girls weren’t the ones to score a goal for the opposing team in field hockey, which cost them the Sports Star Calliber Badge. They lost the Pie-Making badge when their burnt apple pie made the troop sick. But selling cupcakes isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. The boys think it will be a “cupcake walk” and agree to dress like girls to infiltrate the club. But to enter the race, you must be a Cupcake Cadet, have earned three badges and sold the required number of cupcakes.

When they hear about a model sailboat tournament with a $500 prize, the boys are convinced they can win it, especially since they’d be competing against the girls in the Cupcake Cadets. The boys are determined to find a way to raise enough money to replace the engine. They don’t have enough money between them to replace it, and there is no way Jeremy is going to confess to his father. Instead, he and his friend Slater accidentally spill Orange soda, and then green spray paint, all over the carburetor while attempting to tighten the belts. Eleven-year-old Jeremy Bender wants to prove to his father that he is responsible in order to take the prized Cris-Craft boat out alone.

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets by Eric Luper