11. Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom. (Cookie Chronicles #1) Matthew Swanson. Illustrated by Robbi Behr. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Ben Yokoyama loved noodles the most. He loved them more than cheesecake, French toast, and kiwi fruit, which he loved almost the most.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is introduced to Chinese food and FORTUNE COOKIES by his Aunt Nora when she babysits him one night. His fortune: Live each day as if it were your last. Though he mostly knows that it is unlikely that the next day will actually-actually be his last day, this fortune inspires him to have ONE adventurous day. And that spirit of living life--living as if each day could be your last--is quite contagious as his family, friends, and even neighbors soon join in the adventures--and misadventures.

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I am so excited that there are at least two more books to read in this series. I loved Ben as a character and narrator. The narrative voice is quite memorable, in my opinion. I loved seeing the world through Ben's eyes. I did. I loved getting to know his family and friends. We catch a glimpse of his life--this book just covers one twenty-four hour period--but the characters feel SO REAL and oh-so-human. I loved the writing (as I mentioned earlier).

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Nora ate six noodles, Ben knew because he counted.... Ben felt sorry for Nora's noodles, sitting there unloved. Here, he said to the noodles, I'll make you feel better. Ben took Nora's plate and ate her noodles like an anteater eats ants. He was sad that his stomach was not infinite.

Everything was different now. Suddenly a lifetime had become a single day.

One of Ben's goals for any day, not just his last day but every single day, was to eat a piece of cake. Ben started a list. Ben looked at his list. It wasn't long, but it was already perfect.

His mom slept like a hibernating bear, which is to say, flat on her back with a pillow on her face. Ben's dad slept like a nervous rabbit, which is to say, tossing and turning and ready to start sprinting at the first sign of a fox.

Ben walked over to the piano and tried playing "Clair de lune." He started out fine but messed up when things got faster in the middle. He tried again, but his fingers got tangled like a kite string in a rosebush.

Ben's eyes got as big as marshmallows in the microwave.

"Am I going to like it?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer. "You'll like it the same way you like spinach." "I don't like spinatch at all." "Yes, but...?" "Spinach is good for me?" "Exactly."

What about all the things he hadn't even thought to put on his list because he didn't yet know that he wanted to do them?

Mrs. Ezra nodded at Ben and put her sunglasses back on. "Life is full of disappointing cakes, but we get out fresh ingredients and try again don't we?"

Ben ate that cake like a tornado eats a field of summer corn.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers