This is probably the first book I've read that features Mennonite characters. The contrast solidly with the 1980's setting and the prevalence of yuppie culture, the era of disposable assets and excess. That's always running the the background of this story but the bigger plot is the protagonist struggling with her religion and her own desires. She wants to be a good Mennonite but is tempted by more. It's finding a balance between being true to yourself and making your religion personal, a part of your own specific belief system.

Such a fun book. A great look at the Mennonite community. We don't often get a glimpse into communities like this and especially in a middle-grade format.

This is an interesting story coming out of Ontario Canada. This story is about a Mennonite girl and her family‘s tradition of baking cookies and snacks from a cookbook they’ve passed down through generations. Two big cookie companies are in the middle of a lawsuit and the big city lawyers want this recipe book to prove that a crunchy and chewy cookie were invented well before the big-name company patented it. What’s most interesting about this story is it’s based on true events that took place in 1986 when Nabisco and another famous cookie company had this actual thing happen. Over all this is a fun and short listen. It’s got a little bit of adventure, and a little bit of heart,.

#TheGreatCookieWar by #CarolineStellings is a Key Stage 2 (7-11 year olds) read. Set in 1980s makes this a #historicalfiction 😳 This story highlights the #mennonite culture and religious philosophy - something I had no awareness of previously. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Many thanks to #netgalley for gifting me an #arc in exchange for an honest review. #netgalleyuk #teacherswhoread #childrensbooks #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #readingforfun #readingforkids #goodreadschallenge

Great adventurous and funny book for kids.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a sweet middle grade novel that’s charming but could have been longer.

The concept is great: 12-year-old Beth lives in a Mennonite community and wants to be an artist, but feels stifled by the limitations her family and culture put on her.

She encounters a new adventure when a lawyer shows up seeking help, regarding a lawsuit and a family cookie recipe.

What I enjoyed:

That not just the younger child learned a valuable lesson… the parents did too. About having faith and trusting one another, and not jumping to conclusions.

Learning about the Mennonite culture, of which I’m not familiar with.

What I wished for:

More about the Mennonite culture. The book is quite short, but I would have loved to learn more about the culture in more detail.

Everything wrapped up so nicely in a bow, which is comforting, but did seem a little *too* perfect.

Apparently this story is based on a real lawsuit! It would have been cool to read more about that in the afterword.

Overall, a very cute book. A quick read/listen. Solid audio. Love the excitement at the end of the book and the bravery of Beth.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Story Press, for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

This was a cute story but not really for me. I felt this book was just to religious for me. For people who enjoy that sort of book then this is definitely a book I would recommend.

Twelve year old Beth wants to be an artist. However, as a girl in the Mennonite community, her life is runs on a set schedule and art isn’t part of it. However, one day, a New York lawyer named Paula Logan makes an appearance on their doorstep, demanding Grandma’s cookie recipe in order to win a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Grandma is determined not to allow her recipe book out of her sight. Acting as the mediator is cookbook author Edna Staebler, who tries to make peace between the two parties and provide a happy ending to everyone.
The entire story is written in the first person perspective of Beth.

This little middle grade fiction is based on actual events. My search online led me to the following information. Edna Staebler had published her bestselling cookbook, Food That Really Schmecks, in 1968. It was based on Old Order Mennonite recipes from Waterloo County, Canada. In the early 1980s, Proctor & Gamble sued Nabisco, claiming that Nabisco had violated its patent for a baking process that made cookies both crisp and chewy. Bevvy Martin's recipe for Rigglevake cookies in ‘Food That Really Schmecks’ came to the attention of lawyers from both sides as an example of crisp and chewy cookies that could be said to be in the public domain. Lawyers collected cookie recipes through advertisements in Mennonite and Amish newspapers and Old Order Mennonite women were paid to bake demonstration cookies. Edna, while remaining neutral yet amused, helped facilitate these interactions. In 1989 the dispute was settled out of court. (More details here: https://canadianmennonite.org/stories/sweet-and-true-tale)

As a children’s book, this story fares decently well. The cookie war is brought to life in an interesting way that might amuse children at corporate behaviour. Of course, this basic cookie war is jazzed up with Beth’s artistic dreams acting as a source of family conflict in the story. Beth shows a lot of courage and determination in following her dreams while still complying with her family’s traditional requirements. This adjusting behaviour would be a good reminder for all children that family is still important. The characters in Beth’s family are interesting. Grandma of course is the formidable head and caretaker who doesn’t shy away from vocalising her feelings. So children might be happy with this book.
The adult in me though is left a little at odds. Here are a few minor points that make me unsure of my feelings:
• The story in the book matches most of the actual cookie war incident except that the company names are fictionalised. But the book claims that Paula Logan didn’t win her case; this was a misrepresentation in my eyes, though it might not make a difference to children.
• The author’s note mentions that author Caroline Stellings communicated with Edna about “the cookie war” and knew that she would write this story someday. Considering that Edna passed away in 2006, this book sure took a long time coming. But somehow, either because of the time lag or because of trying to simplify the story for children’s ears, there is a slight undertone of artificiality throughout the book.
• I wasn’t aware of the Mennonite people. So I did a bit of research on them before I could begin this story. Some of the facts that came up online seem to be contradictory to the content of the book. For instance, the Mennonites in this book are staunchly against electricity. But the internet says that the Amish are the ones who don’t use electricity while the Mennonites do use it (and other forms of technology.) Of course, the story is set in the 1980s and it’s quite possible that their beliefs were different then. (Incidentally, the book doesn’t mention the timeline of the story at all. I realised the time period only because of my search for the real life case.)
• One point in the writing bugged me a lot. Time and again, there is a mention of the word ‘Mennonite”. I understand that this is a story that brings to us the inside view of a different culture. But the story is from Beth’s first person pov, who belongs to that very community. For instance, why would she call her friends “my Mennonite friends”? Wouldn’t they simply be “my friends”? These kind of statements sounded very odd, as if the author wanted to make sure the kid readers remembered whose story they were reading.
• There is a lot of stereotypical portrayal in the content. And this isn’t restricted to the Mennonite people and their beliefs. Paula Logan is as clichéd a lawyer as you can find in fiction. This isn’t an ‘Own Voices’ book, and that seems to have made a big difference to the authenticity. I would love to hear the opinion of a Mennonite on this book.

All in all, this might be an enjoyable book for children but I wouldn’t want their heads to be filled with stereotypes. So if parents/guardians could balance this read with some accurate information, it would be better. The world is full of hackneyed thinking about smaller cultures and I don’t want the future generation to continue in the same vein.

I heard the audiobook narrated by Christine Brubaker and she reads the book wonderfully, though she sounds a bit too old to be narrating from a twelve year old girl’s perspective. Still, this is not a major complaint. She made the book enjoyable with her performance.

I’m still confused about how many stars to allot to this story so I’ll just go to the middle rating with 3 stars. I liked it but I had a lot of issues with it too.

Thank you, Second Story Press and NetGalley, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a historical fiction for middle schoolers on The Cookie Wars that happened in 1980’s. I was given a audiobook to review by NetGalley and Second Story Publisher. I found the story interesting, and if I didn’t know of the story to begin with, I would have never known it was based on true events. Beth is a young Mennonite when her and her families life is rocked by a New York lawyer needing there help with a multi-million dollar case. Beth discovers what’s important, fame or family. Some characters seem a little over dramatic, but maybe that’s really the way they were. I would recommend the book to children.

The Great Cookie War is a beautiful Audiobook. The voice actor is clear, motivated, and uses tempo to her advantage. I absolutely loved the story. It is light but also delves into real internal issues of longing for something more and for new experiences.