Cookie Monsters & The Gingerbread Witch - two foodie based middle grade and highly anticipated reads at that. Since I am planning on reading a lot more children's books this year, I also want to review as many of them as possible. I'm thinking I am going to be mentioning if I'd recommend them and book comparisons like Ms. Yingling Reads does. Let me know if you are planning on reading either one of these middle grade books.
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.
Brooklyn Ace isn't the same since her mom passed away. She freezes when she's about to make a speech to the whole school, she cries when life gets too overwhelming, and she needs a lot more support from her friends, family, and therapist. All of that makes Cookie Monsters an engaging and realistic read that adds to the competition for cookie-selling dominance.
Brooklyn is dealing with anxiety and needs extra support which she is always given. It was nice to read such positivity in this story that revolved around a friendship group. Although very unrealistic support came from famous people on social media it added to the story's fast-paced drama-filled plot.
Piper Parker is new in town and she wants the Cookie Queen title. She's always in the top spot while Brooklyn continually inches closer and closer to her #1 rank. She is the quintessential mean girl with her motives eventually laid out. However, I think having either a dual POV or more time with Piper would have made her reasoning of being as ruthless as she was more impactful.
I would recommend this first and foremost to any Girl Scouts. Then this would be perfect for all the girls looking for books with drama. I know technically readers look for friend drama (the friends go through their own turmoil but within their families not in the friendship group) but I think this is a better alternative that is still fast-paced, dramatic, and with big emotions impacting the story.
You don't need to read Squad Goals first before reading Cookie Monsters but since they are set in the same world, readers who like one may like the other.
Maud has grown up in a house made of gingerbread, wanting nothing more than to be a witch like Mother Agatha. But just like all of Agatha's gingerbread creations—from the magical house to the chocolate mousse squirrel—Maud will turn back into crumbs if anything ever happens to Agatha.This seems unthinkable…until Hansel and Gretel, a pair of witch hunters, push Agatha into the cottage's oven.To save herself and the other creations, Maud will have to go into the dangerous forest of the Shadelands to find the First Witch's spellbook. But with witch hunters on her trail and others interested in the book for their own means, can Maud bring back the only mother she's ever known…or will witch hunters capture her before she can save her gingerbread family?
There's just something about retellings that I love. I'd never read a retelling based on Hansel and Gretel and far be it to have read a story where the gingerbread witch's assistant was the star of the story. In this original tale, we get all the whimsy of a fairy tale - a gingerbread girl, a talking squirrel, and an epic quest. We get some evil villains that may or may not be so evil and a journey of self-discovery. All great points going toward this book. However, even if the writing was enticing and the characters were fleshed out, the story felt like it was missing something. Almost like it was cut short of its potential.
There were so many characters and friendships to explore that this story could have been longer. Though perhaps it's perfect for readers who want a somewhat shorter read than the usual 320-page middle-grade novel. I discovered that there will be a sequel - The Un-Sleeping Witch - which I wish was alluded to at the end with a cliffhanger of some sort to entice readers to continue. Based solely on this first book it could have used more details and intrigue in the middle section of the storyline.
As a reader who reads for the characters mainly and the plot second, the protagonist Maud, and all the secondary characters were delightful to read about. I enjoyed getting to know this version of Hansel and Gretel as well as Ludo who is a nerd for plants. There was a spark between Hansel and Ludo which was very sweet. I am curious if the same will go for Maud and Gretel in the future. I'd have to see if the second book builds upon the character's personalities in order for me to continue buying the series for my branch.
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