Cookie [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Wilson (Author), Nick Sharratt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Cookie is plain and shy, not the confident, popular girl her father wanted when he named her Beauty Cookson. Her mother helps her cook up a clever scheme to change her image--but, as usual, Dad doesn't approve, and this time his anger reaches frightening new heights. Will Cookie find the strength to stand up for herself? Honest and emotionally resonant, COOKIE faces tough issues with the unflinching directness and unflagging tenderness that make Jacqueline Wilson one of today's most admired-and popular-authors for young people.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Beauty Cookson's father spends lavishly on his wife and daughter. They have a beautiful, large house, but it is not a happy home as Beauty and her mother walk on eggshells to keep him from lashing out at them. Beauty's father reminds her frequently that she is plain and tries to make her fit his image with fancy clothes and inappropriate hairdos. Beauty is either bullied or ignored at her private school. Her mother, to help Beauty fare better at school, attempts to make cookies for the class with disastrous results. Still, she keeps trying, and cookie baking becomes their special time together. As Beauty's birthday approaches, her father plans an extravagant celebration with all of her classmates, even those who torment her daily. The event is a disaster. Later, when Mr. Cookson lets loose the rabbit that Beauty received as a gift from the one girl who befriends her and it gets killed, she and her mother leave him. With the help of new friends, the two finally feel safe and discover just how strong—and beautiful—they are. Wilson's talent shows again in this novel with strong, compelling characters and a plot that makes the book hard to put down.—Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, Denton END

Review

“Wilson’s talent shows again in this novel with strong, compelling characters and a plot that makes the book hard to put down.”—School Library Journal

“Wilson’s extraordinary strength is the reliable, deeply comforting nature of her fiction, in which tough subjects are made approachable for younger readers.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Dame Wilson’s fluid mastery of realistic family-and-friend problems is clear in this title, and, as Wilson's previous books, Sharratt’s cartoon-style illustrations introduce and foreshadow the action in each chapter.” —Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596435348
• ISBN-13: 978-1596435346
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,194,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bunnies and cookies, December 26, 2008

By 

Natz2-D2 (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cookie (Hardcover)

Another good read from Jacqueline Wilson. Cookie contains many of the themes found in previous books - the abusive father, mean girls at school, and cooking, lots of cooking. Ms Wilson clearly has a fondness for food (I mean writing wise, as she has a beautiful figure :))

The father here is emotionally abusive. His language is a constant stream of criticisms designed to erode the confidence of Beauty and her mother. The father is very materialistic, constantly concerned with 'keeping up with the Joneses'. He regards Beauty and her mother much like possessions, concerned with how their physical beauty reflects on his own image. There are a couple of incidents of physical abuse as Beauty's mother reaches breaking point.

There are lots of good opportunities for discussion with girls who read this book about emotional abuse and learning to identify it. Another discussion point is why Beauty's father is the way he is. He clearly feels extremely inadequate himself, constantly striving to make more money and have a 'happy home' with a beautiful wife and daughter. Why does materialism breed such misery? Another theme is the issue of body image, a timely subject in this age of size zero.

My favourite part of the book was when Beauty and her mother arrive at the seaside town. Mike was a real sweetie. My least favourite part was the discovery of the mutilated rabbit corpse ... who knew Jackie had such a gruesome streak? Perhaps there was some metaphor in the fact that the rabbit's head was missing that I didn't catch on to. Perhaps it represented what would become of Beauty and Dilys self-esteem if they remained with Beauty's father?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, realistic book, July 26, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Cookie (Hardcover)

Being rich doesn't always make you merry. Jacqueline Wilson reveals this by writing "Cookie". The story displays the life of a girl named Beauty.

Beauty lives in a very wealth family and luxurious house. On her unusual birthday though her parents unexpectedly divorce. The youthful girl stays with her poor but kind-hearted mother. They take a small car and some luggage. They find this beautiful beach which is called Rabbit Cove. There they start their new life. This is a very attractive "adventure" as a mother and daughter become famous because of the delicious cookies they start to bake.

From this book I learned that having everything is not what we really want. We want to have friends and family. I enjoyed this book because I could step into the main characters shoes. With all my heart I recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, December 5, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cookie (Hardcover)

As an only child attending an elite private school and living in an ultra-deluxe home with her own en-suite bathroom, Beauty Cookson seemed to have it all. However, these financial luxuries masked a deeply troubling home life and profound unhappiness at school. Beauty's father, an angry man with a violent temper and unpredictable mood-swings, abused Beauty and her mother verbally, emotionally, and sometimes even physically. Particularly grating were his constant reminders that Beauty's mother had no real abilities except to look good, and his incessant demands that Beauty fit into his idealized image of a rich princess.

At school, Beauty was ostracized and teased mercilessly for her plain looks, unfashionable clothes, and lackluster personality. Beauty felt completely powerless to do anything to change her predicament; her only source of solace and escape came from a juvenile TV cartoon. It took an extravagant birthday party planned by her father to unleash a host of unexpected events and pent-up feelings that quickly and brutally signaled the need for change.

Acclaimed British author Jacqueline Wilson is known for tackling difficult social issues in her works of children's fiction. Cookie represents another such piece of work, this time in the context of the manipulation and pain exercised by an abusive man, and the powerlessness and fear experienced by his wife and child. This book is a tough read, with a drawn-out focus on the abuse and no mention of sources of assistance and legal redress for victims of domestic violence.