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Smart Cookie
SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO KEEP A FEW SECRETS.
Frankie knows she’ll be in big trouble if Dad discovers she secretly posted a dating profile for him online. But she’s determined to find him a wife, even if she ends up grounded for life. Frankie wants what she had before Mom died. A family of three. Two is a pair of socks or the wheels on a bicycle or a busy weekend at the B&B where Frankie and Dad live. Three is a family. And Frankie’s is missing a piece.
But Operation Mom is harder to pull off than Frankie expects. None of the Possibles are very momish, the B&B’s guests keep canceling, Frankie’s getting the silent treatment from her once best friend, and there’s a maybe-ghost hanging around. Worst of all, Gram and Dad are definitely hiding secrets of their own.
If a smart cookie like Frankie wants to save the B&B and find her missing piece, she’s going to have to figure out what secrets are worth keeping and when it’s time to let go.
Frankie knows she’ll be in big trouble if Dad discovers she secretly posted a dating profile for him online. But she’s determined to find him a wife, even if she ends up grounded for life. Frankie wants what she had before Mom died. A family of three. Two is a pair of socks or the wheels on a bicycle or a busy weekend at the B&B where Frankie and Dad live. Three is a family. And Frankie’s is missing a piece.
But Operation Mom is harder to pull off than Frankie expects. None of the Possibles are very momish, the B&B’s guests keep canceling, Frankie’s getting the silent treatment from her once best friend, and there’s a maybe-ghost hanging around. Worst of all, Gram and Dad are definitely hiding secrets of their own.
If a smart cookie like Frankie wants to save the B&B and find her missing piece, she’s going to have to figure out what secrets are worth keeping and when it’s time to let go.
Hardcover
First published January 30, 2018
32 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
About the author
Elly Swartz
6 books222 followersElly Swartz is the award-winning author of seven middle grade novels: Finding Perfect, Smart Cookie, Give and Take, Dear Student, Hidden Truths, Same Page and Almost True (2027).
Swartz’s books reflect her commitment to raising awareness about mental health and neurodiversity. Her most recent novel, Same Page, was recommended by The New York Times. Finding Perfect, her debut, was named one of the Best Children’s Books About Mental Health by the Child Mind Institute. Dear Student was recommended by Parents Magazine and won the PA State Award for Middle Grade, and Hidden Truths received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, was a Kirkus Best Books of 2023, an Amazon Best Book for November, an Amazon Editors’ pick, and has been nominated for state awards in MA, MO, and NJ.
Swartz travels the country meeting with thousands of students each year to empower their own personal narrative.
Swartz lives in Massachusetts and is happily married with two grown sons, a grandson, and two pups. Connect with her at ellyswartz.com, on Twitter @ellyswartz, and on Instagram, Bluesky, or Threads @ellyswartzbooks.
Swartz’s books reflect her commitment to raising awareness about mental health and neurodiversity. Her most recent novel, Same Page, was recommended by The New York Times. Finding Perfect, her debut, was named one of the Best Children’s Books About Mental Health by the Child Mind Institute. Dear Student was recommended by Parents Magazine and won the PA State Award for Middle Grade, and Hidden Truths received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, was a Kirkus Best Books of 2023, an Amazon Best Book for November, an Amazon Editors’ pick, and has been nominated for state awards in MA, MO, and NJ.
Swartz travels the country meeting with thousands of students each year to empower their own personal narrative.
Swartz lives in Massachusetts and is happily married with two grown sons, a grandson, and two pups. Connect with her at ellyswartz.com, on Twitter @ellyswartz, and on Instagram, Bluesky, or Threads @ellyswartzbooks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
August 3, 2017
I've come to learn that when you finish books by Elly Swartz, you hold them close to your heart and hug them.
Another heartwarming story with characters that stick with you long after you close the book.
Another heartwarming story with characters that stick with you long after you close the book.
June 7, 2017
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Just one look at this scrumptious cover and you know SMART COOKIE is going to be a heartwarming, fun, and delicious read! 11-year-old Frankie Greene is a lovable, vulnerable, good-hearted, active protagonist that you can't help but fall in love with. From her endearing friendship with BFF Elliot who is determined to prove a ghost is haunting her family's B&B, to her beloved relationship with her Gram who seems to be hiding something, to her puzzling and complicated estrangement with her former BFF Jessica who is full of mystery, Frankie is a girl determined to keep a positive attitude and find her way to achieve her goal. Which is to make her family whole again.
Family is the heart of SMART COOKIE. While Frankie adores her hard-working dad, she misses the threesome they used to be when her mom was alive. So she secretly creates an online profile for him in order to attract a wife in time for the school's family festival. Sure, it seems doomed from the start, but one of my absolute favorite aspects of SMART COOKIE is her meetings with "the Possibles" (the women who respond to the dating profile). Ostensibly, she's supposed to be vetting these women to see if they might click with her dad, but in reality she's actually desperate to find out if any of them will click with HER. Those scenes are somehow hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.
Ulitimately, each of Frankie's important relationships changes (for the better) and she ends up filfulling her goal in a most unexpected way. I highly recommend SMART COOKIE to all middle grade readers, teachers, and librarians. It would also make a great family read-aloud. Coming on January 30, 2018!
Just one look at this scrumptious cover and you know SMART COOKIE is going to be a heartwarming, fun, and delicious read! 11-year-old Frankie Greene is a lovable, vulnerable, good-hearted, active protagonist that you can't help but fall in love with. From her endearing friendship with BFF Elliot who is determined to prove a ghost is haunting her family's B&B, to her beloved relationship with her Gram who seems to be hiding something, to her puzzling and complicated estrangement with her former BFF Jessica who is full of mystery, Frankie is a girl determined to keep a positive attitude and find her way to achieve her goal. Which is to make her family whole again.
Family is the heart of SMART COOKIE. While Frankie adores her hard-working dad, she misses the threesome they used to be when her mom was alive. So she secretly creates an online profile for him in order to attract a wife in time for the school's family festival. Sure, it seems doomed from the start, but one of my absolute favorite aspects of SMART COOKIE is her meetings with "the Possibles" (the women who respond to the dating profile). Ostensibly, she's supposed to be vetting these women to see if they might click with her dad, but in reality she's actually desperate to find out if any of them will click with HER. Those scenes are somehow hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.
Ulitimately, each of Frankie's important relationships changes (for the better) and she ends up filfulling her goal in a most unexpected way. I highly recommend SMART COOKIE to all middle grade readers, teachers, and librarians. It would also make a great family read-aloud. Coming on January 30, 2018!
January 19, 2018
Thanks to the author for sharing an ARC of this title with @kidlitexchange - all opinions are my own.
SMART COOKIE is a sweet story of a 6th grade girl trying to make her family whole again, while simultaneously chasing ghosts and baking up batches and batches of cookies in her family's bed and breakfast. What I love most about this story is that it is about a 6th grader, but it is completely appropriate for students all the way down through 3rd grade. I would even give this to a high-level reader in 2nd grade for that matter. There are no crushes or "middle school" behaviors and there are just a whole lot of sincere messages about family and friendship.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle school libraries!
SMART COOKIE is a sweet story of a 6th grade girl trying to make her family whole again, while simultaneously chasing ghosts and baking up batches and batches of cookies in her family's bed and breakfast. What I love most about this story is that it is about a 6th grader, but it is completely appropriate for students all the way down through 3rd grade. I would even give this to a high-level reader in 2nd grade for that matter. There are no crushes or "middle school" behaviors and there are just a whole lot of sincere messages about family and friendship.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle school libraries!
December 26, 2017
This is a beautiful, funny, endearing novel and I was so sad for it to end. Swartz is masterful at creating a lovable MC and a full, rich family (this book is all about filling the holes in that family). Swartz normalizes the issues so many families deal with--in particular grief, OCD, hoarding, new love, friendships) and this book will help so many kids to accept themselves, and the ones they love. I became a huge fan of Swartz with her debut FINDING PERFECT and this MG sophomore effort is as close to perfect as any family, person or story can come!
June 27, 2017
Heart-warming! I loved Frankie and her family.
December 29, 2017
Perfect for middle grade readers. Blog review here--https://readingyear.blogspot.com/2017...
June 30, 2017
Elly has done it again. A tremendous story of Frankie, Elliott, Jessica and a whole cast of unforgettable characters. All of them trying to find what a true family actually is. Loved every page. So excited to share with my class next school year.
April 14, 2018
Frankie’s dad owns and operates the Greene Family B&B, the place that they call home. The guest rooms are board game themed and include a Yahtzee room, Checkers & Chess, Monopoly, Connect 4, and Clue to name a few. Guests arrive for check-in at 4:00 to the smell of warm, fresh-baked cookies. A delicious way to be greeted indeed.
Frankie is a big part of the team and though it means the world to her to be by her dad’s side, she longs to have a mom so that her family might once more feel complete. Since her mom has passed away, her village includes her dad, Gram, a beagle, an African pygmy hedgehog, and her friend Elliott, who thinks there are ghosts everywhere. What prospective mom wouldn’t want to be a part of that? With her mission set, Frankie posts an online profile for her dad on a dating website without him knowing, but what would she do when the mom candidates start showing up at the B&B?
One covert operation leads to another as business at the B&B begins to decline and rumors of ghosts run rampant. The more she digs, the more she’s not so sure she wants to uncover. What are her dad and Gram hiding? Why so many secrets?
Smart Cookie will make you think about the things that you hold dear. The memories we each treasure, the secrets we choose to hold onto and those that should be revealed.
I have enjoyed this book a great deal and thus decided to add it to my K-5 library collection this year school year (2017-2018). It is a book that gets checked out on a very regular basis.
Smart Cookie
Elly Swartz
Frankie is a big part of the team and though it means the world to her to be by her dad’s side, she longs to have a mom so that her family might once more feel complete. Since her mom has passed away, her village includes her dad, Gram, a beagle, an African pygmy hedgehog, and her friend Elliott, who thinks there are ghosts everywhere. What prospective mom wouldn’t want to be a part of that? With her mission set, Frankie posts an online profile for her dad on a dating website without him knowing, but what would she do when the mom candidates start showing up at the B&B?
One covert operation leads to another as business at the B&B begins to decline and rumors of ghosts run rampant. The more she digs, the more she’s not so sure she wants to uncover. What are her dad and Gram hiding? Why so many secrets?
Smart Cookie will make you think about the things that you hold dear. The memories we each treasure, the secrets we choose to hold onto and those that should be revealed.
I have enjoyed this book a great deal and thus decided to add it to my K-5 library collection this year school year (2017-2018). It is a book that gets checked out on a very regular basis.
Smart Cookie
Elly Swartz
February 4, 2018
This was a fantastic story and when it ended I was not ready to leave the characters behind! I loved the B&B setting of the story, the issues that arose as the story progressed, and the way Elly Swartz created so many questions about what was really happening (almost mystery-like at times). The issues in the story are all too real in many families and will help so many children know that others face the same obstacles. There is also humor to keep the story from becoming too heavy for middle grade readers. The cover of the book draws you in, the writing keeps you engaged from beginning to end! (When you finish reading, you have to make some cookies!)
June 12, 2017
So engaging with an awesome female protagonist that is a great role model for preteen girls! I loved meeting Frankie and getting to know her world at the B&B with her dad and Gram. I adored how confident Frankie was and how sure of herself she was with other kids her age.
I could just picture all of the characters and the inn - it made me think of a town like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls! I most definitely agree that Molly from Finding Perfect would be great friends with Frankie!
I could just picture all of the characters and the inn - it made me think of a town like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls! I most definitely agree that Molly from Finding Perfect would be great friends with Frankie!
January 11, 2023
Smart Cookie is a warm, family-centered middle grade book about finding family, dealing with the loss of a parent, and cultivating friendships. Set in a cozy BnB, this one will appeal to fans of middle grade books set in motels. It tackles sweet, universal themes like dealing with family changes that make it appropriate for younger middle grade readers.
Full review: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/smart-...
Full review: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/smart-...
January 28, 2018
The author of FINDING PERFECT is back with a new book at the beginning of a new reading year. And, Elly does not disappoint. Frankie is an endearing character whose good intentions often find her chasing ghosts, breaking into homes and spaces not her own, meddling in the private affairs of those close to her, and hanging around in cemeteries.
How's this for the presentation of a character you would WANT your middle grade readers to know?
Frankie and her best friend (ready at Code Red Hot Chili Pepper) share a platonic friendship and present a nice look at a symbiotic relationship in middle grade literature with these two classmates who draw upon one another's resources at different times.
The mystery of what is happening to Frankie's Bed and Breakfast and home depends upon finding out what happened to a mysterious member of the community related to another who may have the kind of pull that might yank Frankie's home right out from underneath her.
And while her father and grandmother have done all they can to create a circle around a young girl with a mother, who could blame her for setting up a dating profile for father?
And then there are the letters and pictures offered to the lost and those who have passed on.
Elly Swartz gives reader a close look at what holds families together when they are trying to fall apart. SMART COOKIE suggests that there is always opportunity for love so long as we are alive. And as we live, we learn more about those we hold up to heroic standards who find themselves in more than human situations.
A caring former teacher, Annie, is a character not to be missed in SMART COOKIE. Her sensitive handling of Frankie's loss is a heartfelt nod to teachers and the relationships they can form with the children they teach.
Swartz has done her homework again for this book researching OCD and Hoarding Issues that present within the book. A project involving Shakespeare not only gives a literary look at empathy and conflict resolution, readers also get to see an example of creative project-based learning as a response to literature shared in the class.
I'm passing my Advanced Reader copy on to the middle school so that more readers can see this title. The book is available for sale at the end of this month (January 2018)
How's this for the presentation of a character you would WANT your middle grade readers to know?
Frankie and her best friend (ready at Code Red Hot Chili Pepper) share a platonic friendship and present a nice look at a symbiotic relationship in middle grade literature with these two classmates who draw upon one another's resources at different times.
The mystery of what is happening to Frankie's Bed and Breakfast and home depends upon finding out what happened to a mysterious member of the community related to another who may have the kind of pull that might yank Frankie's home right out from underneath her.
And while her father and grandmother have done all they can to create a circle around a young girl with a mother, who could blame her for setting up a dating profile for father?
And then there are the letters and pictures offered to the lost and those who have passed on.
Elly Swartz gives reader a close look at what holds families together when they are trying to fall apart. SMART COOKIE suggests that there is always opportunity for love so long as we are alive. And as we live, we learn more about those we hold up to heroic standards who find themselves in more than human situations.
A caring former teacher, Annie, is a character not to be missed in SMART COOKIE. Her sensitive handling of Frankie's loss is a heartfelt nod to teachers and the relationships they can form with the children they teach.
Swartz has done her homework again for this book researching OCD and Hoarding Issues that present within the book. A project involving Shakespeare not only gives a literary look at empathy and conflict resolution, readers also get to see an example of creative project-based learning as a response to literature shared in the class.
I'm passing my Advanced Reader copy on to the middle school so that more readers can see this title. The book is available for sale at the end of this month (January 2018)
August 1, 2017
I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this middle grade novel through my #BookRelays group. As a big fan of Finding Perfect, I was really excited to read Smart Cookie. And I was not disappointed! This book also had the authentic voice of a sixth grade girl dealing emotionally with missing her mother (who had passed away seven years earlier), wishing her father would find someone new to fill the hole in their family, and trying to negotiate the tumultuous world of middle school relationships and academic expectations.
Frankie Greene lives in a Bed & Breakfast with her father and maternal grandmother in the town where her mother had grown up. Her neighbor and friend, Elliot, has her starting to believe that there might be a ghost hanging around and scaring guests away. She’s secretly signed her father up on an online dating website, so maybe he can find someone to make their family complete. She's also trying to figure out why her once-BFF, Jessica, is barely speaking to her. All of these issues have Frankie on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I think that middle grade students will definitely be able to relate to the main characters and the difficulties they experience coming to terms with family changes, whether through the death of a parent or the breakup of a marriage. There are good opportunities to discuss what makes a family, and ways that others can be included in your circle of relationships.
Frankie Greene lives in a Bed & Breakfast with her father and maternal grandmother in the town where her mother had grown up. Her neighbor and friend, Elliot, has her starting to believe that there might be a ghost hanging around and scaring guests away. She’s secretly signed her father up on an online dating website, so maybe he can find someone to make their family complete. She's also trying to figure out why her once-BFF, Jessica, is barely speaking to her. All of these issues have Frankie on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I think that middle grade students will definitely be able to relate to the main characters and the difficulties they experience coming to terms with family changes, whether through the death of a parent or the breakup of a marriage. There are good opportunities to discuss what makes a family, and ways that others can be included in your circle of relationships.
January 15, 2018
Frankie lives with her dad and her grandmother in a bed & breakfast. Her job is to make sure their guests have fresh cookies to eat at night. When people stop coming to the bed & breakfast because of rumors of ghosts, Frankie and her friend Elliott set out to investigate. As they learn more about the ghosts and the history of the bed & breakfast, Frankie is also working on a school project with her old best friend turned enemy, and did I mention that she is trying to find herself a new mom? This book is full of heart, family relationships, friendship, and cookies.
Middle graders will love this new book from Elly Swartz, which releases in February. I received an advance reader copy of this book to review.
Middle graders will love this new book from Elly Swartz, which releases in February. I received an advance reader copy of this book to review.
July 16, 2017
Such a sweet, endearing tale! This book will soften your heart and make it all sorts of squishy. I enjoyed following these characters as each strives to find what family truly means. Losing a member of a family always leaves a giant hole that no one else can fill. But healing can happen, and it was wonderful watching Frankie find that. She's headstrong and confident, which was great considering that she's lost her mom. She's also funny. I loved the mingling of her quest to setup her dad with 'a woman to help him out, who likes 'one' kid' and her best friend's obsession with ghost hunting. Bringing the two together created a nice twist, seeing how Frankie's mother has passed on and Elliot had his own 'ghost' he was looking for. There's a ton of innocence here, too. Perfectly MG! A cross between The Parent Trap, You've Got Mail, and a bit of Ghostbusters, you'll find this tale overflowing in life's sugar & spice with the reality of a little bitterness, too. It's real and raw. I can see middle grade readers falling in love with Frankie and Elliot.
July 23, 2017
Loved this sweet story about Frankie and her attempt to complete her family. Swartz brings this small VT town and the bed & breakfast experience to life in her second book for middle grade readers. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will relate to Frankie's yearning for a connection with her deceased mother, as well as her efforts to fill that hole in her family. A heartwarming novel.
November 21, 2017
Family secrets and recipes make this one sweet story! Frankie's mom died when she was 4 and she decides she wants her dad to meet someone who would make them a family of 3 again. She sets up an online dating profile and compiles a list of Possibles who never seem to fit the bill. Meanwhile her dad is busy running a B&B that is losing business because there are rumors it is haunted. This has Frankie wondering if her mom could be a ghost, so she begins writing her letters for advice. And then we have Gram who seems to have secrets of her own and behavior that is becoming more curious for Frankie. There are so many amazing subplots going on in this book, it kept me captivated. (and the descriptions of the daily cookies at the B&B kept me salivating!) Elly Swartz knows how to write complex characters in compassionate and compelling ways. On the heels of Finding Perfect, I think Swartz has found another perfect story!
July 9, 2017
Such a heart-warming tale of what family really means and how it holds us all. With a solid dose of nostalgic mystery- and adventure-seeking to boot!
November 22, 2017
Such a sweet and endearing story. Frankie was a great character to read about and all the little hiccups on her journey made it something to remember after you finish the last page. I can't wait to read more books by author Elly Swartz.
January 20, 2018
I received an advanced reader copy of Smart Cookie by Elly Swartz through #kidlitexchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
When I saw the cover of Smart Cookie by Elly Swartz it screamed at me heartwarming and delicious, and it did not disappoint me! This book was a sugar buffet of discovering family orientation and the values of a friendship narrated by a sixth grade girl. Frankie Mae Greene lives in a bed and breakfast with her father and grandmother and with the Winter Family Parade quickly approaching her and her best friend, Elliott, begin "Operation Mom". As they begin to search for a mom to complete her family, they run into a town bully, an old fashioned mystery, and a ghost story. You are taken on a magical ride to discover sometimes secrets are meant to keep and your family will always be there when it counts most. Review also posted on Instagram @jasonnstacie, Library Thing, Go Read, and my blog at readsbystacie.com
When I saw the cover of Smart Cookie by Elly Swartz it screamed at me heartwarming and delicious, and it did not disappoint me! This book was a sugar buffet of discovering family orientation and the values of a friendship narrated by a sixth grade girl. Frankie Mae Greene lives in a bed and breakfast with her father and grandmother and with the Winter Family Parade quickly approaching her and her best friend, Elliott, begin "Operation Mom". As they begin to search for a mom to complete her family, they run into a town bully, an old fashioned mystery, and a ghost story. You are taken on a magical ride to discover sometimes secrets are meant to keep and your family will always be there when it counts most. Review also posted on Instagram @jasonnstacie, Library Thing, Go Read, and my blog at readsbystacie.com
February 10, 2018
This book is bursting with adorable.
Frankie is a feisty preteen who lives with her dad and Gram in a B & B that they run as a family. Although she misses her mother deeply (she communicates with her through almost daily letters) she’s determined to find her father a new bride.
This adventure leads to a possible ghost hunt, questions about secrets her dad and Gram may be hiding, and general mischief that coincide with Frankie rediscovering an old friend in need.
Her voice is spunky and endearing. Her ideas are sweet and creative. Her lessons are timeless and heartwarming. Frankie truly is one Smart Cookie and I loved every bite of this book.
Frankie is a feisty preteen who lives with her dad and Gram in a B & B that they run as a family. Although she misses her mother deeply (she communicates with her through almost daily letters) she’s determined to find her father a new bride.
This adventure leads to a possible ghost hunt, questions about secrets her dad and Gram may be hiding, and general mischief that coincide with Frankie rediscovering an old friend in need.
Her voice is spunky and endearing. Her ideas are sweet and creative. Her lessons are timeless and heartwarming. Frankie truly is one Smart Cookie and I loved every bite of this book.
March 12, 2018
This book had a lot filling the pages: a girl still coming to terms with her mother’s death, making up with an old best friend, her grandmother’s hoarding, setting her dad up on dates via online dating in the hopes of finding a new mother, ghost hunting, trying to save their B&B from being purchased, getting ready for a town event, coming to terms with her dad’s new girlfriend, the list goes on...I would have liked to see the focus narrowed down a bit, but overall I liked Frankie and her friends and family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2017
Frankie is sweet, spunky, and one smart cookie! Elly Swartz's second novel is a lovely story of friendship and family with a good dash of mystery and intrigue. Readers will route for Frankie, her ghost-hunting best friend Elliot, Frankie's B&B-owning Dad, and Gram, Frankie's warm grandmother with a lot of stuff and a knack for cookie-making. SMART COOKIE is a wonderful, heartwarming book that is sure to be loved by many a MG reader!
February 17, 2018
Frankie’s got a lot going on: she’s part-time cookie maker for the family’s b&b, she needs to find her widowed dad a new wife, and she needs to help grandma, whose hoarding tendencies are off the chain. Add in a threat to the family business and having to do a project with a firmer friend who’s mad at the world, it all seems too much. But Frankie has plans for everything... delightful heartfelt story by a master storyteller!
June 15, 2018
A heartwarming story about loss, love - and the importance of friends and family during trying times. Readers will fall in love with the plucky heroine, Frankie, and her ghost-obsessed BFF, Elliot. A wonderful, pitch-perfect novel for MG readers. Highly recommended!
June 20, 2017
This book, like Elly's first, is a gem. Frankie and her partner in crime Elliot have their own secret operations going on. Frankie's is to find her dad a new wife, and Elliot's is to crack the mystery of the ghost that haunts Frankie's family's Bnb. As Frankie gets deeper into her operation, she realizes that both her Gram and her Dad may have secrets of their own.
I loved Frankie's spunk and spirit in this one! The entire cast of characters was amazing. It's one of those books where you actually miss spending time with the characters after you've put it down. I also loved all the various themes like friendship and family. It hits on all the middle grade good stuff! As the reader learns more about each of the characters I was reminded of the saying 'be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle'. I am so excited to share this wonderful book with students next winter! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved Frankie's spunk and spirit in this one! The entire cast of characters was amazing. It's one of those books where you actually miss spending time with the characters after you've put it down. I also loved all the various themes like friendship and family. It hits on all the middle grade good stuff! As the reader learns more about each of the characters I was reminded of the saying 'be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle'. I am so excited to share this wonderful book with students next winter! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 6, 2018
Eleven year old Frankie is a very memorable character that makes you feel it all! Whether you’re hoping she finds what she wants, trying to understand how to navigate school and friendships at that age or dealing with mental health issues, “Smart Cookie” is it! I was cheering for Frankie and cried for Frankie. Thank you, Elly, for another beautiful piece of work that makes you want to just hold it close when you’re done. Grab a copy on January 30th!
March 8, 2018
What is a family? Frankie discovers that her family was never really broken in this touching middle grade novel.
Giggles? Check. Tears? Check. “Awe...” moments? Check.
Elly Swartz builds a beautiful, well developed set of lovable characters. A must read!
Giggles? Check. Tears? Check. “Awe...” moments? Check.
Elly Swartz builds a beautiful, well developed set of lovable characters. A must read!
January 23, 2022
This book tried WAY too hard to be sweet and at the end it kind of turned into a wanna be ghost mystery book but other than that it was ok. I'm 12 and Frankie acted like an 8 yr old and not at all 11
January 10, 2018
Slightly bittersweet, a little funny - this is a lovely middle grade book about a family that is still coping with the loss of the mother, as well as all the issues of real life - a struggling B&B, new relationships, a grandmother with mysterious actions, quirky best friends and fresh cookies. Be warned - you will want to have fresh cookies on hand!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews