Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

“Great characters, hilarious jokes…a joy to read.” —Lincoln Peirce, New York Times bestselling author of Big Nate series

Literal-minded Ben cracks open a fortune cookie and it tells him that he can have anything he wants, if only he’s willing to wait… A madcap adventure about the perils of patience, for fans of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID or THE TERRIBLE TWO.

Good things come to those who wait.

Ben does his best to heed his fortune cookie’s advice, and as a result he is paired with Walter—the kid who’s always picked last—for a school scavenger hunt. Working with Walter must be a good thing if the cookie said so, but so far all he does is talk too loud and recite obscure facts about feet. Meanwhile, Ben has an argument with his best friend Janet, and waiting for her to apologize first isn’t going so well…. But eventually, Ben’s patience starts paying off: if he and Walter are able to pull out a win in the scavenger hunt, they’ll earn a half-day of recess for the whole school! Waiting may not always be a good thing, but taking the time to listen and consider all options isn’t half bad.

Story Locale: Anytown USA

Series Overview: COOKIE CHRONICLES is a richly-illustrated middle grade series starring 9-year-old Ben Yokoyama, who gets a new fortune each book, and goes on a new adventure as a result.

About the Author

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr are the husband/wife, author/illustrator team behind The Real McCoys, Babies Ruin Everything and Everywhere, Wonder (Imprint Books). Until recently, they also ran two small presses: Bobbledy Books and Idiots’ Books. These days, they spend most of their time making books and raising four kids (10, 8, 6, and almost 2) in the hayloft of an old barn in Chestertown, Maryland. They spend the rest of their time speaking, teaching, and leading workshops on collaboration and creative entrepreneurship-and the rest of the rest of their time running a commercial salmon fishing operation on the Alaskan tundra.

Author Residence: Chestertown, Maryland