Ready, Set, Dough! [Paperback]

Zoe Sparks is an eleven-year-old with boundless enthusiasm, embarking on a mission to become the top cookie-dough seller in her school's fundraiser, and aiming to win a coveted laptop. But Zoe's laser-focus on winning may put her at odds with her best friend and family.

Spunky sixth-grader Zoe Sparks has discovered a unique way to get the laptop of her dreams—to win it! If Zoe can sell more tubs of cookie dough than anyone in her school, the laptop is hers. It’s the first step to becoming a prize-winning journalist! Soon, her win-at-all-costs attitude causes problems with her family and her best friend, Felix when she misses out on their important milestones. Zoe’s a top cookie-dough seller, but is winning the prize worth it? Baptist uses humor to explore themes of navigating family, school, and community; this story will resonate with anyone who has dreamed of winning big.  —The Horn Book

Baptist crafts a spunky, focused female character who has tons of drive, great goals, and funny insight....A fun, relatable realistic fiction title recommended for all middle grade readers and collections.  —School Library Journal

Baptist explores themes of class and wealth disparity through Zoe’s stubbornly determined first-person POV, and enriches the narrative with distinct and unforgettably rendered characters. —Publishers Weekly

A funny, heartfelt romp, with a charming protagonist at its heart. —Kirkus ReviewsKelly J. Baptist is the inaugural winner of the We Need Diverse Books short-story contest. Her story is featured in the WNDB anthology Flying l3,