Cookies and Milk. Shawn Amos. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Sometimes you gotta take a chance. This is it. My last moment to go out on top. Summer is one minute away. All eyes are on me.
Premise/plot: Ellis Johnson doesn't necessarily want to stay with his dad over the summer. Especially since staying with his dad means investing long, hard hours into setting up a COOKIE shop. (Their store will sell chocolate chip cookies and only chocolate chip cookies.) The year is 1976. The place is Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Ellis will grow over the summer (and he does want to be taller) in many ways...learning many things about family, life, and love.
The book stars Ellis, his father, his grandmother, and his best friend....to name a few.
My thoughts: I really ENJOYED this one. And not just because it's semi-autobiographical. Shawn Amos, the author, is the SON of THE ONE AND ONLY FAMOUS AMOS. I wouldn't say I lived on Famous Amos cookies in college, but, well, I mostly did. (Not really.) I loved the storytelling. I loved the 70s setting. (Though I am curious why he set it in 1976 if the store actually opened in 1975). I loved the GRANDMA. Seriously, her catchphrase of NOT TODAY SATAN was priceless. I liked Ellis' adventures and misadventures. Life was sticky/messy. But he kept trying even when it felt like a constant struggle. I loved the flow of the story--all the people brought together by cookies.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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