16. Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting. (Cookie Chronicles #2) Matthew Swanson. Illustrated by Robbi Behr. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It was definitely time to get ready for school, but Ben was still in bed. It was good to be in bed. I will stay in bed all day, thought Ben. I will live in this cozy, warm bed forever. Ben's stomach made a sound like a dying hyena. He remembered the problem with staying in bed. I want sausages, he though, and I want them right now. Ben jumped out of bed faster than a sneeze jumps out of a nose.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is starring in his SECOND adventure in Matthew Swanson's Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting. After a disappointing start to the day (involving sausages, or the lack of sausages), Ben is excited that his mom has packed a fortune cookie in his lunchbox. But Ben, well, he gets a little too excited about what this new fortune might be...and, well, he cheats. (It comes with a consequence, several consequences at least). His new fortune: GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. When Ben starts applying this message to his life, well, things get complicated...

Because WAITING until the end to pick your partner for a class project, well, that doesn't seem like it could lead to a good thing. Waiting leads you getting paired up with the kid no one ever wants to pick. His name--Walter--and Ben has a connection to Walter. Long, long, long ago these two were friends... but that was then, not now. Can Ben and Walter make a good team for the class project--a scavenger hunt???

My thoughts: I loved, loved, LOVED this one. I would give it a hundred million stars if I could. (Instead, I'll give it five.) While the first book probably took place over a weekend, this one takes place over a week at school. I loved the world building, the characterization, and above all else the relationship-building. Also the narrative. I love, love, love that too. So descriptive. So relatable.

Quotes:

• Asking Ben if he wanted sausages was like asking a coyote if he wanted to howl.
• Ben looked at the sausages. The sausages looked at Ben. They loved each other so much.

I hope to reread the whole series again and again at some point. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers