Cookie (novel)

Cookie

"Cookie" official book cover designed by Nick Sharratt
Author	Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrator	Nick Sharratt
Cover artist	Nick Sharratt
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Children's novel
Publication date	9 October 2008
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	320pp

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. There was a follow up to the book 'Cookie in Fame' published in 2011. This book was illustrated by Pat Hutchins.

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

Despite her name, Beauty Cookson is a plain, timid girl who is nicknamed ugly by her peers at school, especially by her main bully, 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 is a wealthy girl who 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, Sam, and his pet rabbit, Lily.

She has no friends at all at school. The only girl that is nice to her is Rhona, Skye's best friend. However, Rhona desperately wants to be friends with Beauty, which she reveals one day when Skye is at a dentist appointment. Finally, she is invited by Rhona to a birthday party she is holding. For the birthday party, Beauty's dad forces her to get corkscrew curls and popular bullies Skye, Arabella and Emily develop a new nickname for her: Ugly Corkscrew.

Beauty tells her mother, Dilys "Dilly" Cookson about the teasing and Dilly 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 (a play on her surname, Cookson). Gradually, both Beauty and Dilly get the hang of making cookies and become wondrous at it.

Beauty's birthday is approaching and she is dreading it, however her father appears to turn a new leaf and act like an ideal dad. Her dad organises tickets for all of the girls in her class to see a stage show called 'Birthday Bonanza', with a chauffeur driven limousine to escort them there. Beauty invites all the girls, including Skye, and decides to give out cookies at the end of the party. Rhona gives Beauty a pet rabbit, which she names 'Birthday'. 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 as well as ruining her cookies.