Peppermint Cocoa Crushes

Friends, cocoa, crushes... catastrophe! Sasha is so excited. 'Tis the season for snow, gifts, peppermint cocoa, and the Holidaze Spectacular -- the school's variety show competition with an amazing grand prize! She and her best friends, twins Karly and Kevin, are working on a dance routine for it, and Sasha is sure they'll win. She's also sure that her crush -- Kevin -- likes her back. She just needs to find a way to tell him. But then nothing goes as planned. Karly disappears into quiz bowl, things with Kevin are going nowhere, and Sasha's head is spinning between rehearsals, homework, and volunteer commitments. Everything is falling apart! Can Sasha repair a friendship, figure out her crush, and still make the most of her moment in the spotlight?

Laney Nielson is a former classroom teacher with a Masters in Education. She is a past recipient of the Cynthia Leitich Smith Mentorship and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Plano, Texas with her husband, two daughters, and a dog who thinks she's a cat.