Book Info:
Cookie Monsters by Erika J. Kendrick
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publishing Date: January 17, 2023
Synopsis:
A fun, fast-paced novel about friendship, family, fighting for what’s right, and standing out from the crowd while standing up for yourself. Twelve-year-old Brooklyn Ace is ready to take the Valentine World Scouts by storm and build her own cookie empire. She nearly won the top cookie selling spot last year and is determined to make her mom—who recently passed away—proud by coming in first this time around. With her fabulous best friends by her side, Brooklyn knows she’ll become Santa Monica’s District Cookie Queen. The crown is practically in the bag. Then Piper Parker arrives. Piper has a rich dad, a fancy hotel, and a drive to steal the cookie crown right off Brooklyn’s head. Before long, most of the seventh grade is under Piper’s spell. But Brooklyn is in it to win the biggest cookie war the school has ever seen. With the help of her cookie squad, her rockstar grandmother, her super cool therapist, and a lot of self-love and inner growth, maybe—just maybe—Brooklyn can end up a winner after all.
Book Links:
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316281485
About the Author:
Erika J. Kendrick is an acclaimed writer, a national speaker, and a mental fitness expert. She earned a psychology degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Erika was an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls before writing her novels, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader (Random House) and Appetite (Random House). She is currently touring her debut middle grade novel, Squad Goals, with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The spinoff, Cookie Monsters, is set for a summer 2022 release.
After battling her brain pain, Erika founded Mental Fitness For Life where she launched her latest Mental Fitness book tour, “Who Moved My Happy?” While talking to audiences of all backgrounds and ages, Erika shares her story of brain pain and inspires hope by creating safe spaces for life-saving conversations. She has presented and guest lectured at colleges and universities as well as the US Army and US Air Force, national sororities and fraternities, middle and high schools, conferences, retreats, and national organizations, large and small. Erika has toured with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is a speaker with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) where she has been inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Erika is a recipient of several “Who’s Who” honors, a Rising Icon honor, and several Awards of Excellence. Erika has taken the stage for TEDx, appeared on Good Morning America – The Third Hour (GMA3), NBC News, CBS News, The Wendy Williams Experience, national television and radio segments, and a host of other media outlets. She has been featured in several publications, including Page Six of The New York Post, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and various other magazines and digital media.
Author Links:
Website: http://xoerika.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikajkendrick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikajkendrick/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikajkendrick
Tour Schedule:
I love a Middle Grade which diverse and not afraid of discussing issues like grief and anxiety. For me Cookie Monsters has it all by the bucket load.
Our main character is Brooklyn Ace who life has changed dramatically and now she finds herself with the help of her friends trying to be seller of Valentine World Scout Cookies for her region and all antics ensues. It is just not about cookies it shows the reader what a group can do if they put their minds to it.
I loved that Brooklyn's friends had strong characters but also had their own side stories which really gave the story that extra something.
There were some great messages in the story and I think Erika handled how grief can make anxiety twice as bad and that it was not a sign of weakness to get help. For all these reasons I am giving Cookie Monsters 4 stars.
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