Since her mother died, Frankie and her father have come up
with a list of rules. Setting up a date site for her father
isn't on the list -- yet, but Frankie knows he won't be
happy when he discovers what she's done. Frankie only wants
him to be happy. She wants to be a bigger family than just
her, her father, and her grandmother -- especially since her
father and her grandmother are fighting. They keep saying
they're fine, but their clearly hiding secrets.
Frankie also worries about her family's B&B; people keep
canceling their reservations. She can see her Dad's nervous
about it, although he won't acknowledge it. Her best friend
keeps talking about ghost stories that he's heard in town --
ghost stories about the B&B. Could this be why people
aren't coming?
Frankie's determined to help her father find romance,
smooth things over with her grandmother, and save the B&B.
Frankie's smart and determined, but she doesn't always leap
to the best conclusions. She has a big heart and tries so
hard to make everything right, but she really ends up
making a mess of everything.
SMART COOKIE by Elly Swartz is a great heartwarming story for
kids filled with secrets, mysteries, friendship, and cookies.
Sometimes you need to keep a few secrets. Frankie knows she'll be in big trouble if Dad discovers she secretly posted a dating profile for him online. But she's determined to find him a wife, even if she ends up grounded for life. Frankie wants what she had before Mom died. A family of three. Two is a pair of socks or the wheels on a bicycle or a busy weekend at the B&B where Frankie and Dad live. Three is a family. And Frankie's is missing a piece. But Operation Mom is harder to pull off than Frankie expects. None of the Possibles are very momish, the B&B's guests keep canceling, Frankie's getting the silent treatment from her once best friend, and there's a maybe- ghost hanging around. Worst of all, Gram and Dad are definitely hiding secrets of their own. If a smart cookie like Frankie wants to save the B&B and find her missing piece, she's going to have to figure out what secrets are worth keeping and when it's time to let go.