Cookie (novel)

Cookie
Author(s)	Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrator	Nick Sharratt
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's novel
Publication date	9 October 2008
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	320 pp

Cookie is a children's novel written by prolific author Jacqueline Wilson, published in October 2008 by Doubleday. It is illustrated, as are most of her books, by Nick Sharratt. The book was released on 9 October 2008.

The book was age-banded (as "9+") by the publisher, despite Wilson's opposition to the practice.^[1][2]

Plot

Despite her name, Beauty Cookson is no beauty, that's what she thinks. She's a plain, timid girl who is called Ugly by other girls at school, especially a mean girl called Skye. Worse than the teasing in the playground, though, is the unpredictable criticism from her father. She is frequently berated for breaking any of his fussy house rules, as well as for her lack of looks, confidence and friends, even though she lives in a large house and attends a private school. Beauty adores rabbits, although her father forbids her to have pets. Her favourite television show is "Rabbit Hutch",a show for young children about a man and his pet rabbit.

She has no friends at all at school. The only girl that is nice to her is Rhona, Skye's best friend. Though Rhona desperately wants to be friends with Beauty, which she reveals one day when Skye is at a dentist appointment. There is also another reasonably nice person at Beauty's school: Beauty's class teacher, Miss Woodhead. Finally, she is invited by Rhona to a birthday party she is holding. During the birthday party, Beauty's dad forces her to wear Corkscrew curls and Skye, Arabella and Emily (bullies) develop a new nickname for her: Ugly Corkscrew.

Beauty tells her Mum about the teasing and her Mum decides to learn how to bake cookies, even though she is an awful cook, in the hope that Beauty will be given a new nickname, Cookie. Gradually, both Beauty and her mum get the hang of making cookies and become wondorous at it. Her Dad organises tickets for the whole class to see a stage show called 'Birthday Bonanza', with a chauffeur driven limousine to escort them there, and Beauty invites all the girls, including Skye, and decides to give out cookies at the end of the party. Not only does Beauty's dad hit her mother but he also throws her mum's home-baked cookies on the floor and stamps on them until there is nothing but crumbled cookies left. Despite her humiliation, Beauty is determined to be called Cookie.

On Beauty's birthday, she is given a grey rabbit, whom she names "Birthday", by Rhona. Beauty gives out the cookies, but Beauty's father destroys them. The birthday starts to become unbearable when, at the show, Beauty is too shy to go onstage [the show is to celebrate people's birthdays], and he shouts at her in the limousine. She tries not to let it bother her, but when she gets home, she learns that he has let Birthday out of his hutch, and Birthday has been killed by a fox.

Dilly has had enough of her husband, tells him she is separating from him and goes away in her car taking Beauty with her. First of all, they go to the first Mrs. Cookson (Avril) who is very nice. She lets them stay for the night until they decide to go on holiday. The holiday resort they choose is called Rabbit Cove, Beauty chooses it due to her craze over rabbits. They find themselves in an idyllic seaside resort run by a man named Mike, who takes Dilly on as a breakfast chef.

Dilly decides to let her husband know they will be returning after summer, despite Beauty's objections, but after he shouts at her and calls her old and "past it", she terminates the call. He tracks them down, and yells at them in front of the customers at the cafe, even going as far as to accuse her of having an affair with Mike and punching him in the nose. This is the last straw, and Dilly firmly refuses to return home. Even though Dilys (nicknamed Dilly) is living with Mike and they hint that they want to start dating, Dilly refuses for the time being, as she wants to be independant. He understands, as he is a kind calm, serene and understanding person.

After summer, Beauty is sent to a new school where she makes friends, and is even asked to go on 'Watchbox', a talent show that Skye really wanted to be on, it also shows Sam and Lily, who Beauty meets on Watchbox. Beauty is reluctant at first, but soon gives in. Lily is pregnant with her own baby rabbits, Sam decides to give Beauty ( now nicknamed Cookie at her new school) her own baby rabbit.

Audiobook

A BBC audiobook was released in the same month as the novel, read by Finty Williams.

References

1. ^ Flood, Alison (2 October 2008). "Jacqueline Wilson gets age-banded". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/oct/02/jacqueline.wilson.cookie.ageband. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
2. ^ "Age guidance on new Wilson book". BBC. 08-10-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7650238.stm.