Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie Thief

Cookie Chronicles #4

by Matthew Swanson, Robbi Behr (Illustrator)

Justice is sweet when a school bully gets a taste of his own medicine. A hilarious new Cookie Chronicles adventure that middle-school readers who love Wimpy Kid and Dog Man will gobble up with gusto.

"Impossible to resist.” —Lincoln Peirce, New York Times bestselling author of Big Nate.

When Ben's fortune cookie tells him that the best things in life are free , he believes he can get anything he wants without paying for it—as long as it's the best . But Ben’s dreams of free cookies and fancy scooters are quickly dashed when schoolyard bully Flegg McEggars steals his fortune.

Ben will stop at nothing to get his fortune back, but bringing the thief to justice will be no easy feat. He has to lawyer up, gather witnesses, and present his case to the fifth graders in Kid Court. Along the way, Ben learns that crime comes in many forms and the real villains are not always the people we first suspect.

From the husband-and-wife, author-and-illustrator duo that brought you Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom comes a tale of truth, justice, and the pursuit of cookies.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Audiobook, Childrens

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Matthew Swanson (and his wife Robbi Behr) are author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Cookie Chronicles series, The Real McCoys trilogy, and the picture books Sunrise Summer, Babies Ruin Everything, and Everywhere, Wonder. When not advocating for local schools, giving talks on creative entrepreneurship, or running a summer salmon fishing operation on the Alaskan tundra, we live in an old barn on the Eastern Shore of Maryland—making books and raising our four kids.

Matthew and Robbi will spend the 2022-2023 school year crisscrossing the United States in a school bus/tiny home with our four kids, visiting underserved elementary schools in all 50 states (plus DC), and giving away 25,000 free hardcover books to students and teachers from low-income communities. To learn more about the Busload of Books tour, go to: www.busloadofbooks.com.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Ben Yokoyama scooted glumly down the sidewalk with a thump thump thump. He was mad enough that stubbing his toe would have taken him all the way to furious. But he wasn't quite mad enough to stop and kick an unsuspecting tree.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is still addicted to cookies, and his favorite may just be the fortune cookies in his daily lunch. (For the fortune, not the cookie). But when a school bully starts stealing his cookies...and his FORTUNES....something must be done. Justice for the playground is much needed...

My thoughts: This one reminded me of an episode of RECESS. Ben and his friends are being bullied into giving over their desserts (not just cookies) to the school bully. And they must team up to see that justice is served. But what is justice? Is it always so black and white?

I have read all four books and enjoyed them. I would definitely recommend the series as a whole. Each fortune (from a cookie) allows for a different theme to be explored. The fortune in this one is the best things in life are free.

Quotes:


Ben sighed in a way that was meant to be heard and admired. But no one was close enough
to appreciate it. He sighed louder. But the sidewalk remained empty. Not being able to share his mad feelings made Ben madder.
A lot of money seemed like less when it was gone.

His mad had turned to sad. Sad was for sitting down, so he sat on a bench and sighed again, daydreaming that a careless millionaire might wander by and drop a gold nugget at his feet.

[Wina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 did not disappoint! Hilarious graphic novel/chapter book hybrid for ages 8-12; I loved this book. It is so funny, creative, fast-paced, full of heart, and has THE BEST SYNONYMS! This one is equally heartwarming and sweet. I love Ben, his parents, his best friend, and of course, Rainey. There is a fantastical and funny author's/illustrator's "note" at the end, too. Don't skip it. I can't wait to read the next one. But I will have to.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series. Ben, who loves cookies, especially fortune cookies, has a run in with school bully. When he takes Ben fortune and then his cookies, Ben and Rainey decide to have the school judge handle it. What happens is an eye opener for many!

This is a great lesson for many on the process of the courts.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this series with my daughter. She's 3, which might come as a surprise that she is embracing a novel, but there are so many pictures that she is fully engaged. This story sparked countless questions from her along with multiple laughs, but ultimately allowed for some deep discussions and life lessons. I can't wait to tackle book 5 with her.

[JoJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Of course couldn’t live up to the perfection that is the sixth book in the series, but still featured the most incredible illustrated metaphors while imparting life lessons that, like fortune cookies, are just the right level of sweetness to satisfy

[Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this one.
Looking forward to no.5.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little read about how Ben and his friends deal with a school yard bully who is stealing everyone's desserts. Illustrations lend lots of humor to the story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much court for me. I prefer the other books in the series. It's like the author wanted to write a Law and Order episode.

[Scrumhalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continue to love this series… glad there are more!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read! It’s all about realizing the best things in life are free.
My 10 and 7 year old enjoy listening to the audiobooks on the way to school.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have lost respect for Ben. He's not brave or smart or good or loyal. Janet should be the protagonist.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, the fourth in the series, is a 3.5 for me. As is the case for many readers, this deliciously funny and unique book amused me on several levels. Ben Yokoyama is so literal and so much a third grader that it's hard not to like him and hope that things turn out for him. After the pithy advice from his fortune cookie proclaims that the best things in life are free, Ben takes that message literally, and figures that he won't need to pay for anything, especially if it's the best. Having spent all his birthday money from his aunt on cookies, Ben doesn't have the cash to buy a flashy new scooter to replace his damaged one. He figures that fortune might be his salvation. But Flegg McEggers, playground bully, takes his cookie and fortune, and Ben despairs of ever getting the fortune back. To his surprise, though, there's a secret group of fifth graders who run a Kid Court where Ben just might get the justice he so desperately needs. As it turns out, there's more to Flegg's bullying than meets the eye, and Ben might already have what he needs. This book's creative team serves up justice with a generous heaping of humor while also embedding much of the text inside artwork in their usual creative ways. Fans of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg won't want to miss the homage to her on page 237 as Rainey as the Kid Court judge is wearing a collar similar to the one she wore when making court decisions. The nuances of justice are even discussed in a thoughtful, child-friendly way, without readers feeling as though they are receiving a lecture. There's so much to like about this story and this series, and it's clear the author and illustrator are having far too much fun coming up with these ideas.

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love, love, love these books. They are entertaining, which is great. The illustrations and text effects are phenomenal. The characters are delightful. Personally though I'm always on the edge of my seat to see how truth and goodness win without bending reality. Which is what always happens. Swanson and Behr are geniuses!

This book handles bullying, politics, groupthink, positive thinking, and more with seeming ease.