Cookies & Milk
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK—YOUTH/TEENS!
It's a summer of family, friendship, and fun fiascos in this acclaimed novel that's as irresistible as a fresh-baked cookie.
Ellis Bailey Johnson has the summertime blues. Instead of hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing his harmonica, Ellis has to help bring his dad’s latest farfetched, sure-to-fail idea to life: open the world’s first chocolate chip cookie store.
They have six weeks to perfect their recipe, get a run-down A-frame storefront on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard into tip-top shape, and bring in customers. But nothing goes according to plan, especially when family secrets start to surface. Can Ellis bake up a happy ending?
Partially based on Shawn Amos’s own experiences growing up the son of Wally “Famous” Amos, and packed with humor, heart, and fun illustrations, this debut novel sings with the joy of self-discovery, unconditional love, and community.
“Shawn Amos has written a beautiful story of family and music, of growing up and having adventures, of business building and character building, that is at once very specific and universal. I love Cookies and Milk as much as I love cookies and milk.” –Lisa See, New York Times bestselling and award winning author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls
**Don't miss Ellis's next adventure: Ellis Johnson Might Be Famous
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Based on Amos's life with his father, Wally "Famous" Amos, this semi-autobiographical tale centers an endearing father-and-son relationship in 1976 Hollywood, Calif. Having graduated elementary school, 11-year-old Ellis Johnson hopes he's not the only Black kid in middle school next year. Though he longs to spend his summer playing his harmonica and hanging out with white best friend and vinyl record lover Alex, Ellis is instead begrudgingly helping his newly separated father open "the world's first chocolate chip cookie store" in a tattered building off Sunset Boulevard. Of all his father's "old dumb ideas"—such as peddling jewels made of stone fruits and designing footwear for dogs—this is, to Ellis, his worst. But as the summer unfolds and family secrets come to light, Ellis endeavors to repair fractured relationships while building new friendships within his bustling neighborhood. Accompanied by Paul's cozy illustrations, Amos's energetic prose encourages pride in one's culture. Championing interpersonal bonds, be they found family or blood relatives, the narrative also emphasizes unconditional love and one community's impact on a boy shaping his identity. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.
