The Cook's Family

by Laurence Yep

Book Overview

As her parents' arguments become more frequent, Robin looks forward to the visits that she and her grandmother make to Chinatown, where they pretend to be an elderly cook's family, giving Robin new insights into her Chinese heritage.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399229078
• ISBN13: 9780399229077
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Robin's life

The Cook's FamilyBy: Laurence YepReviewed by: C.DonadoPeriod: 6This book is about a girl named Robin and how her family has problems. Robin is really sick of it and when she gets to be in a fantasy life she really starts to enjoy it. Robin and her grandmother were at a restaurant one day when the waiter came up to them and said that they were just the right people to pretend to be the cook's family. Robin and her grandmother start to like being around Wolf, the cook, that they go visit him every week. Robin's family is still having family problems and her parents fight all the time. Finally, Robin starts to do something about the problems.I liked this book because it has a good way of describing a fantasy life. Robin meets Wolf for the first time and she performs for him. Wolf applauded. "She seems to float," he said to the waiter. Robin gets really good food but can't eat it because ballet. Robin feels like a bad daughter and tries to get better at it. Finally she finds out that she was a great pretend daughter.I also liked this book because it talks about how to overcome family problems. Robin's parents have been fighting since her mom started to work at their family company with her brothers, Robin's uncles. Robin and her brother get really sick of it and her brother hates that their parent's are always fighting. "Be brave for me," Robin said. "It will go away soon." Later their parents figure a way out of all the fighting.My favorite part of this book was the ending. Robin wakes up in the morning and decides to take the first step in repairing her family. So Robin makes pancakes, coffee, and gets the newspaper. Her dad comes to breakfast followed by her mom then her brother, and Robin hears the news that her parent's are going to take consoling. Robin calls her grandmother to tell her that her mom was not going to the store that day and finds out that her grandmother had a date. So in the end, all went well.

Great Book

I love ballet and I love anything to do with Asia, so obviously I loved this book. It was awesome and I highly recommend it, Lawrence Yep is a great author.

The Best Multicultural Book Ever

This book is about a girl and her grandmother who get whisked into a drunk cook's life. When Robin and her grandmother unexpectedly get pulled into a restaurant by a waiter they are persuaded to be (act)a cook's wife and daughter. Wolf (the cook)however is not fooled by this act but willingly follows along. While a family war is raging among Robin's mother and father Robin finds another family in the cook and his friends. She feels that she is not "chinese" enough to please the cook and struggles to be more chinese. The flow of this book ranks among Yep's best work. Each part of the story swirls with the next to create a touching multicultural novel about two groups of people trying to fit in with one another.This book is a sequel to Ribbons. The ending of this book is strong, touching and even sad but this adds to the exqusite story spun by Laurence Yep.