Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Perfection

Cookie Chronicles #3

by Matthew Swanson, Robbi Behr (Illustrator)

Practice makes perfect, and Ben Yokoyama will settle for nothing less than perfection!

When Ben's fortune cookie tells him that practice makes perfect, he refuses to settle for anything less. He demands better parents, superior hobbies, and a brand-new best friend, who might technically be a superhero.

The pursuit of perfection is thrilling until Ben is forced to give up the things he loves most--including baseball, personal integrity, and his dog's enthusiastic kisses. Life lessons from a goldfish and a spine-tingling near-death experience help Ben realize that his flaws are also the keys to his greatest strengths--and that the people and things that make him happiest will always be perfectly imperfect.

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Fiction

336 pages, Library Binding

Published December 28, 2021

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

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popsugar #23 - A book with a recipe in it

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute and funny installment in the Ben Yokoyama Cookie series. While I didn't enjoy The Cookie of Perfection as much as the first two, I still liked it overall. I found the third book's plot to be almost a mix of one and two. Also, Janet's character was a little more aggravating than usual in this particular installment. But overall, fans of the series will enjoy the Cookie of Perfection!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Ben Yokoyama had a pretty good life.

Premise/plot: Ben Yokoyama is back for his third adventure. This time the fortune cookie's fortune brings out the worst in Ben. Yet somehow despite this--or perhaps because of this--his story remains relatable.

His fortune is that practice makes perfect. Ben doesn't read this message in a way that it applies to himself--not really. He reads it and begins seeing imperfection everywhere. His mom. His dad. His best friend. His classmates. Oh, he doesn't exclude himself completely--he sees that he could improve in some areas (like math and baseball). But for the most part, he sees how others imperfections are interfering with him having the best life. The more he goes on a quest for perfection, the more critical (demanding and just plain rude) he is of others (or to others). He becomes a PAIN to be around.

Will Ben learn that life is best lived imperfectly?

My thoughts: I found BEN to be a jerk in this one. Yet isn't it realistic that we see others flaws before our own? So even though I hated what the fortune did to Ben in this one (before he learned his ultimate lesson), I could understand how it could happen.

This one features a new friend for Ben who leads him astray. I haven't decided if this new friend is purposefully misleading/lying OR if he's just beating to the beat of a very different drum. Regardless, Ben believes EVERYTHING this kid says. Even when it doesn't make much logical sense.

I loved, loved, loved books one and two. Book three is not my favorite or best (in this series). But it's not a bad book, just the narrator is a little insufferable.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third book in the series Ben is given a fortune cookie 🥠 and decides he needs to follow the instructions. He also befriends a student in school who gets a perfect score on the math exam, which no one EVER gets 100 on the math test! In the process Ben learns a very important lesson!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this series!!!!

[Anastasia Tuckness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love, love love these Cookie books! In each one, Ben reads a fortune from a fortune cookie. Then he seriously (so seriously) considers what it means and how he should live his life based on that proverb. As he does that, he starts to see the truth of the proverb and gets very excited about it. And then he starts to realize that life isn't so simple--real life gets in the way of the ideal. Which I feel like describes much of my life--discovering a truth, believing it deeply and acting on it ... and then sitting back with some confusion when it doesn't all work out.

Back to Ben. In this installment, he learns, Practice Makes Perfect. Fortunately, he soon makes a new friend who believes perfection is possible. With some caveats--you have to work HARD at something, and if you're not perfect at it, perhaps you don't really love it and you may want to give it up.

Ben applies this theory most specifically to baseball and piano (and tangentially to riding a scooter down a dangerous hill). Along the way, his best friend Janet and his amazing neighbor (Edna?) work with him and they all learn something in the end.

Ben's parents are another favorite part for me--they are so real! In this book his mom is practicing cooking. She has some work to do!

Lots of humor along the way, too!

[Wina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 3 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 even more heartwarming and sweet. I got choked up at least twice. I love Ben, his parents, his best friend, his neighbor, and his teacher/classroom dynamics, and of course, Darby. 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.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

A funny realistic book that will be great for 2nd-5th graders! The illustrations in the book are great and really add to the story, and in some places help tell the story.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this the perfect book? Nope, but nothing is. This does, however, welhl encapsulate ambitions and dreams of an elementary aged kid and fit it into actual life. Like a more advanced Amelia Bedelia, he takes his fortunes so literally.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Library copy

This seemed somehow longer than the first two, but really wasn't. Did enjoy the decriptions of burnt pancakes, and hope to get fans of Wimpy Kid books to take a look at these instead. At least two more books are planned for the series.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great figurative language! Plenty of illustrations so it looks a lot longer than it is. Good story about why perfection shouldn't be the goal or prevent us from doing what we love even if we can never be perfect.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book. My 7 year-old is convinced that being perfectly imperfect is the way forward. I agree.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids enjoy this books so much! They are funny and the message on this one really resonated to my little perfectionists and hopefully made them little less so.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben and his cookies are so delightful with touching 8-year-old life lessons and the funniest analogies I’ve ever heard

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is still going strong! So far, I've loved every book.

[Marinda (rindasreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfectionist in me appreciated this book and I look forward to handing it to my seven-year-old son, who could be Ben. I enjoyed the writing and fast-paced storyline, as well as the enjoyable and relatable similies and metaphors. Matthew Swanson's writing is great for developing readers!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a complementary review copy. All opinions are my own!

[Elbrackeen Brackeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Ben and all his friends.