Side-splittingly funny and supremely science-y * Adam Kay *
Get ready for chaos, comedy and a cast of quirky characters as much-loved BBC Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq returns with her hilarious children's series. Written and illustrated by Huq, the brilliantly entertaining Cookie! books star adorable science-obsessed girl Cookie Haque, from a Bangladeshi family, who is ready to take on the world... and won't take no for an answer! With her chaotic family life, drama queen attitude and her love for madcap school science projects, geeky Cookie also has an uncanny ability to get herself into almost constant scrapes, and her riotous adventures are winning the hearts of mischievous youngsters. In the third book in the series, Cookie finds mysteries everywhere... but can she solve them, and save the science show? Meanwhile, Cookie's Nani is coming to stay from Bangladesh but she doesn't speak English and Cookie is the only one in the family who doesn't speak Bengali. Fortunately, science-mad Cookie realises that her coding lessons at school might help her crack the language code and help her bond with Nani. Other mysteries are harder to solve, though... like, why is Jake's mum acting so weird, who is the mystery gamer who keeps levelling-up in Cookie's computer game and who is the Woodburn Hacker who keeps posting teachers' secrets on the school website? Huq's inspiration for this anarchic comedy series - illustrated throughout with her own doodle-style, black and white illustrations - was her own childhood, a lingering feeling that she 'didn't quite fit in,' and her own propensity for embarrassing disasters. With a fresh, funny and joyful warmth permeating the story throughout, subtle lessons about saving the planet and the importance of coding, and an enchanting lead player who inspires girls to get on board with science, this is the perfect all-round adventure for middle grade readers. -- Pam Norfolk * Lancaster Guardian *
