- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Comedy
Café Chaos: My Family Is Not a Piece of Cake
Book 1 of 2 in Café ChaosView the full series
A warm, laugh-out-loud series opener about Hope Crumble, whose family's dream of running a bustling café is emphatically not her dream. Funny and relatable family comedy for readers starting secondary school, with a gentle serious thread about money worries.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
- Length272 pp
- Read aloud~3 hr50 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Irreverent
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Running a bustling café is Hope Crumble's family's dream - it's just not hers. Between starting secondary school and a family who treat every meal as a drama, Hope has a lot on her plate, and a surprise dose of outrageous auntie makes things extra spicy. While Dad and Gran battle it out in the kitchen, Mum tries to balance the books over quiches for hordes of hungry pensioners, dramatic sister Stacey turns all of life into a stage, and wishes-he-was-on-Wall-Street cousin Connor tries to advertise the business in novelty costumes. Catherine Wilkins serves up a genuinely funny family comedy with real feeling underneath: the café's money troubles, working parents, and the everyday business of standing up to your family to be heard. Illustrated throughout by Katie Abey, this warm and readable series opener will delight fans of Jacqueline Wilson and any child who, like Hope, is trying to make their own wishes matter amid the family chaos.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Pitched at 9-12s reading independently, with humour and warmth that also work read aloud from about 8. A gentle, relatable family comedy with low peril, well suited to children navigating the move to secondary school.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Low
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny family stories
- Starting secondary school
- Relatable realistic
- Jacqueline wilson fans
Avoid if
- Wants fantasy or adventure
- Prefers high stakes
Particularly good for children who are…
- Moving to secondary school
- Low self esteem
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Hope's family run a café that is one long disaster, and everyone - dramatic sister Stacey, get-rich-quick cousin Connor, battling Dad and Gran - is loud, ridiculous and impossible to ignore. It's funny and true to life, and Hope's fight to be heard is easy to root for.
- Being understood finally
- Proving yourself
- Family belonging
Why parents love it
A warm family comedy that reads fast and laughs easily, with a gentle honest thread about money worries and working parents underneath. Katie Abey's illustrations lift it, and it's a natural next step for children who love Jacqueline Wilson-style real-life stories.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
In the series
Café Chaos.
2 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
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