The Startup Squad

Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear

BookElementaryMiddle School

About

Girls mean business in the third novel of this series about friendship and entrepreneurship that Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan, calls “A great read!”

All four friends in the Startup Squad want to raise money—but when they can’t agree on what business to start next, they strike off on their own. Didi’s idea seems perfect: making place cards for a wedding.

But after the wedding planner gets sick, Didi finds herself in charge of everything—and then the caterer cancels and the band goes missing! Didi’s business is turning from a dream to a disaster. Will the Startup Squad come together in time to save the wedding?

Each book in this middle-grade series by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear also features tips for kids starting or running their first businesses, plus a profile of a real-life tween girl CEO.

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Why it’s great

Friendship drama meets business basics as four girls race to sell the most lemonade. Sidebars teach budgeting, branding, and negotiation without slowing the plot. Relatable characters show that teamwork and listening to customers beat going it alone. Ideal for book clubs that like a dose of entrepreneurship with their fiction.