Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Cute middle grade book about a girl who's family gets caught up in a lawsuit regarding cookies. The storyline was cute, but the actual narrative was not great.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Story for the gifted book!

Told from the perspective of a Mennonite twelve-year-old girl, this story is based on a true story from the 1980s about two major food companies battling over the patent for a type of cookie. The main character Beth is a dreamer that imagines more for her life than her family sees as appropriate, and this cookie war may enable her dreams but ruin her family.

I think the ending of this book is a bit rushed, but I still fully enjoyed the story and felt enmeshed in this Mennonite community. Beth is a strong minded girl who also respects and honors her heritage. I think kids can learn a lot about a different culture by reading this one.

Content Warning: Car Accident

What a fun historical fiction middle grade read! I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely recommend this quick read! Plus, the cover is super cute!

Beth and her family are quite surprised when their friend Edna shows up with a lawyer all the way from New York City interested in a cookie recipe in the family cookbook that’s been passed own for generations. It seems there’s a court case arguing that one company can’t patent a recipe for a certain type of cookie if another company can prove it’s been around long before the patent was filed. Beth’s family are Old Order Mennonites in Waterloo, Ontario. They live a simple life without electricity or other modern technology. It seems surprising that some major law firm would be so interested in a family recipe. Beth is more interested in what pieces of art the lawyer lady has seen in NYC. Beth loves art, but it isn’t a hobby her family really approves of. The lawyer tries to appeal to Beth to help convince her Grand-mama to let them use the family recipe book in the court case and offers art lessons in return. Beth really wants those art lessons, and she sometimes isn’t sure about the way her family lives, but should she hand over the family recipe book?

I was struck by how unique the plot line in this book was, and then I read the end note and found out this is all based on a true story! Edna was a real person who really wrote a cookbook containing recipes from her Mennonite friends, and the court case over the cookie patent and how a law firm sought help from friends of Edna was all true. Beth’s story and her wrestling about where she fits in the world and what she is capable of is the made up part. I was really confused when I started reading this because I have numerous friends who are Mennonites or grew up Mennonite and all of them used electricity and modern technology. I thought at first the author was getting them confused with the Amish, but I did some research and learned that there is a small sect of Mennonites called the Old Order that don’t use electricity or other modern technology. It might be good to talk to kids about how not all Mennonites live like Beth’s family so they aren’t surprised or confused when they meet other Mennonites who live very differently. This is based on a historical event that happened over 40 years ago at this point, but nothing in the book dates the events to that time period. It reads as if it could happen today. If you are looking for a realistic story that is a bit unique, based on a true story, and gives you a look at a unique culture, snatch this one up when it comes out.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: One use of profanity (by non-Mennonite). No sexual content. There is a road accident that results in some potentially serious injuries but everyone ends up ok.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐ rounded down.
This is a historical fiction middlegrade book.
That's a first for me, but won't be my last in the genre.
It was a really cute way to introduce a little known story, to a wider mass of people.
I felt like some of the characters were a bit over the top (The grandmother especially), but not enough to ruin my experience. I do wish it had more of a backstory; the book felt rushed through most of it.
Thanks to NetGalley & Second Story Press for my DRC.

This was a great book about a girl who wants to achieve her dream, while living in her traditional family. She's caught up in the middle of a 'cookie war' and she's trying to help her family, while making the right choices. This was a great book and I really enjoyed it. It's a good read for readers ages 9-12.

The story moves along at a good pace, sure to keep the young reader's interest. I very much appreciated the portrayal of the Mennonite culture, particularly as there are not alot of books targeted at this age group which are set in that world. The endnote regarding the origin of this real life "cookie war" was interesting.

This middle grade novel is based on a true story that took place in 1985, about two major food corporations fighting over the patent for a certain type of cookie. The cookie in question had been around for a long time within the Old Order Mennonite community in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

The premise of the story sounded interesting and the fact that it took place near where I grew up and spent a lot of summer hours intrigued me. Landmarks like the West Montrose Bridge and the St. Jacobs Marketplace, are still popular tourist sites today as mentioned in the story. It was fun to re-visit these places in a fictional re-telling of an historical event.

I have friends who live in the Mennonite community mentioned and felt that the depiction of the attitudes and reception of strangers within this story portrayed them in a negative light. I’ve never felt unwelcome as an outsider and have had many a pleasant interactions with them – even those who are considerably older (such as Grand-maman Edna in the story). There appears throughout the story to be much animosity toward the New York lawyer, who granted wasn’t kind to them in the beginning, and vice-versa.

The narrative is told from the point of view of twelve year old, Beth. Some comparisons felt off (such as boxing matches, reading Victorian stories with séances, and court room procedures) for someone who had grown up sheltered from violence and from a community that does not enter a courtroom or use the legal system that’s available to all Canadians. As well, the internal struggles that Beth has and the questions she asks herself about her community seem to be far too advanced for her age and outside of what is expected of or taught within the community.

I was optimistic that Canadian spellings (since the story takes place in Canada) would be used rather than American spellings (cheque vs. check; grey vs. gray) - but they weren’t. Though a minor detail for some readers, it really pulled me out of the story.

I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Based on a true story set in a 1980s Mennonite community. 12 year old Beth wants to be an artist, something her family and faith do not support. When a lawyer from NYC arrives in hopes of securing the family's cookie recipe as evidence in a looming corporate cookie lawsuit, Beth's small world suddenly seems like it might get much, much larger. Most of the novel focuses on Beth's internal growth, rather than the cookie lawsuit, and her experiences, while somewhat unique given her religious upbringing, have universal relevance.

The Great Cookie War was a fascinating story thank you so much #NetGalley and author Caroline Stellings for the opportunity to read and review the book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I didn’t realize until the very end note from the author that this charismatic tale is based on a true story and a real legal battle over the greatest cookie back in 1984 (crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle). Knowing that the story is a true story, takes place in Canada, and is written by a Canadian author makes me like the book even more!

I haven’t had much opportunity to learn about the Mennonite or Amish culture so it was fascinating to hear about it from the perspective of Beth, a young girl who has grown up isolated in a community that still is choosing to live without electricity and modern technology. I particularly enjoyed the cultural historic information and background. Beth is a dreamer who is searching for more meaning in her life and I think how she feels would resonate with many young readers. There was lots of character development and a good amount of conflict and surprises, and overall is a really unique, charming book.

The Great Cookie War is geared towards middle year children.

#TheGreatCookieWar #NetGalley

This was a very enjoyable read. It's refreshing to read about a community that you don't often see represented in stories. Beth is s 12-year-old girl who dreams of becoming an artist. The problem is she and her family are Canadian Mennonites. Beth's father reminds Beth that "Modesty is the most important virtue". Drawing, painting....are not encouraged. I love how the author has Beth show us how she feels about this. Beth feels like she is just playing a part in a play and she is waiting for the play to end so she can be herself.
One day, Edna introduces Paula, a lawyer from Manhattan, to Beth's family. They learn that Mother's Best, a popular cookie brand is being sued by Baker's Pride (another cookie brand) Paula needs a recipe from Beth's grandma's old recipe book and she strikes a bargain with Beth. If Beth can get the recipe book, Paula's firm will pay for her art schooling. The cookie war that ensues, changes Beth's life.

A Mennonite household is in turmoil when a lawyer comes by wanting a family cookie recipe to win a lawsuit. No one can agree on whether to give it to her. Religious beliefs play strongly in the final decision.

Interesting that this story is actually based on a true story! I enjoyed the story and it was refreshing to see a Canadian Mennonite protagonist (and family)!

"The Great Cookie War" by Caroline Stellings
Release Date: 4.6.2021

Beth dreams of being an artist, but she feels her life in Canadian Mennonite is dull -- she goes to school, helps with chores, and works with her parents at the local farmer's market.

One Saturday, 12-year-old Beth meets a lawyer from New York City, needs a family cookie recipe to win a lawsuit. Nabisco and P&G are looking on who owns the patent to the recipe. The lawyer offers Beth art classes for the recipe.

Beth's grandmother will not give up the recipe, nor do they want to appear in court. Grandma protects her community from being hounded by the media.

This is based on a true story. Beth learns loyalty.



Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in response for an honest review.


#netgalley #netgalleyreviews #netgalleyreads #historicalfiction #historicalfiction2021 #2021bookreleases #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booknerd #thegreatcookiewar #greatcookiewar #carolinestellings #middlegradenovels #middlegradebooks #2021middlegradereleases #mennonitefiction #mennonitefictionforkids

First sentence: At night when darkness fell, and the winter winds swept across the open meadow, the wild things would come to the edge of the clearing. Mama left scraps for them; she said they were searching, always searching. At such an hour, our fieldstone house felt safe, and warm—a refuge, an island of light and love in a cold sea of darkness. And yet, at such an hour, so many things crept into my mind, uninvited thoughts, thoughts I didn’t want to have.

Premise/plot: The Great Cookie War is set in a Canadian Mennonite community in the early 1980s. Beth Betzner, our twelve year old heroine, LONGS to be an artist. But her creative hobby isn't always--often is not--appreciated by her immediate family. There are many skills that help with one's duty within the community--but drawing, sketching, painting aren't seen as super valuable. Even if her family supported her art habit, the family couldn't pay for her art supplies and lessons. But an opportunity presents itself to Beth--and the rest of the family--when a New York lawyer comes to town one winter.

A cookie war is coming. Yes, a COOKIE war. Two big-name companies are getting ready to battle it out in the court system. Does one company's patent on both a crispy/chewy cookie prevent the other company from making its cookie?. The big city lawyer says NO. Chewy/crispy cookies have existed for centuries and can't be patented. The proof may be in this OLD family recipe book in the possession of the Betzner family.

The problem? The family does NOT want to loan out the book to either side. The family does NOT want to appear in court for either side. Money is not the issue. Far from it. But Beth is tempted....especially when out and out offered the chance to fulfill her dream.

Who will win the great cookie war?

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. There are plenty of Mennonite (and/or Amish) books published for adults--usually romances. There are hardly any children's books starring Mennonites (and/or Amish) characters. This one is a COMING OF AGE book with some ADVENTURE thrown in. Will Beth, our heroine, be courageous when put to the test?

I also LOVED that it is based on a true story.

In a Globe and Mail article from 1985, June Callwood called it “The Great Cookie War.” For cookbook author Edna Staebler and her Old Order Mennonite friends in Waterloo, the whole thing was foolishness! The recipe for rigglevake cookies had, after all, been scribbled in Bevvy Martin’s little black book for decades. Why all the fuss now? When it was published in Edna’s bestselling and world-famous Food That Really Schmecks, no one could have known the brouhaha that one little recipe could create. But it did.
The situation began eleven years after Schmecks had been published. Procter and Gamble (P&G) had put eighteen million dollars into bringing a new cookie to market, one that would be crispy on the outside, but chewy in the middle. They patented their secret recipe in 1979. When rival Nabisco began baking similar cookies, P&G sued for infringement of copyright. And both sides were desperate to get their hands on that little black recipe book. Why? Because it was from that book that Edna Staebler copied the recipe for rigglevake cookies, and rigglevake cookies are crispy and chewy at the same time. And since the recipe was published in Schmecks, Nabisco argued that P&G had no case.
Through it all, Edna Staebler fiercely protected her Mennonite friends and eschewed offers from radio and television stations—she even declined the chance to appear on the Jay Leno show. Caroline Stellings kept up a personal correspondence with the cookbook author, and was so impressed by her charismatic personality, that she always knew that one day, she would write a book about Edna Staebler and her involvement in “The Great Cookie War.”

The Mennonite community is a bit like the Amish in that they eschew modern things, such as electricity and gas. The only things they have to buy are things they can not create for themselves, such as roof tiles.

Beth wants to be an artist, even though art, other than for practical purposes, is not something her community believes in. So, they can make a beautiful quilt, but paintings are frowned upon.

This is all background for a big city lawyer coming to get a family cookie recipe, and dangle the possibility of Beth getting art lessons, as a way for her to turn the recipe over to her.

This is a really quick read, and based on a true incident where two big cookie makers each claimed to have come up with a recipe that had been in the family for generations.

Beth is very relatable, and it is a neat feat to have the point of view be alien to most modern readers, and yet to have her remark on how modern things seem alien.

Most enjoyable book, with a look in on the Mennonite community.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.