Fudge Cassidy and the Cupcake kid are best friends. They’re names were actually chalk and cheese – Fudge is loud mouthed and Cupcake is quiet but even though they’re not the same, they’re still friends. They've just started at secondary school and Cupcake has rather a lot on her plate. Her brother Joey has some problems and they are becoming more obvious. Add to this that her father couldn't cope with the problems and he now has another family. It's just Cupcake, Joey and her mother - and not a lot of money.
Joey has a puppy that originally belonged to Fudge's neighbour. Fudge and Cupcake take the dog to the vet because Cookie starts to limp and it's not long before the vet tells Cupcake's mum that he needs an operation and that it will cost £300. The girls set out to raise the money so that Joey and Cookie aren’t separated.
I loved this story. Jean Ure has pulls you into the story and refusing to let go until you've turned the last page. They're people doing their best to have a reasonable life and make ends meet. Money is tight and some families have a lot to cope with – such as sick children and being a single parent. Sometimes a parent has remarried and doesn't see very much of their child. The young people are neither all good or all bed. They're that mixture that's in all of us. Fudge and Cupcake did their best to raise the money as honestly as they could, but when they had the chance to get all the money in a way that wasn't quite honest. They found the temptation just a little too much particularly as it would benefit Joey so much.
I’d recommend this book for people who are 10 and over because it seems the right age for children to read.
