Cookie & Me

Gr 9 Up—This rich coming-of-age novel about a preteen interracial friendship in late-1960s Tallahassee evokes the classics of Harper Lee and Maya Angelou. Rayann has a seedy, selfish white supremacist father and an alcoholic, mentally unstable mother. Hanging out with Cookie, the black niece of her beloved housekeeper, is forbidden, but Rayann longs for the closeness she feels with Cookie and her family, not to mention Cookie's older brother with the "beautiful amber eyes." The elements perfectly balance and will keep teens reading: Rayann's unstable home life, the palpable danger from the racism surrounding the two girls, Rayann's poignant lack of guidance at the cusp of adulthood, the soundtrack as the girls sing 1960s hits in their hideout in the woods. All of it ties together through the vulnerable voice of the protagonist, with her poetic phrasing, loving descriptions of the natural setting, and evolving sense of self and her place in a difficult world. This title is being marketed as a crossover, but high school collections should not hesitate to purchase it and recommend it enthusiastically to their sensitive female readers.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library