- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Comedy
Café Chaos: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
Book 2 of 2 in Café ChaosView the full series
The second helping of family café comedy: Mum has wildly over-ordered beans, and salvation arrives in the unlikely form of Hope's arch-enemy, who needs a venue for her charity fashion show. Warm, funny and relatable for readers who loved the first.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Irreverent
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Hope Crumble's family are still serving up cakes, coffee and calamity - and this time Mum has accidentally over-ordered the beans, leaving them just two months to shift the lot. Cue a run of gloriously chaotic family meetings: Aunt Rita goes full 'flavours of Mexico', while cousin Connor pitches a bean-eating competition to lure in the post-gym crowd. Hope, meanwhile, is trying to keep her distance and simply get some time to be a child while her family sort out their own crises. Then rescue turns up from the most unlikely direction of all - Skyla, Hope's arch-enemy and school bully, who suddenly needs somewhere to hold her charity fashion show. Catherine Wilkins's second Café Chaos story is as funny and warm-hearted as the first, mixing outrageous family antics with real, recognisable feelings about pressure, rivalry and finding room to be yourself. Illustrated throughout by Katie Abey, it's an easy, laugh-out-loud read for fans of Jacqueline Wilson.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Aimed at 9-12s reading independently, and enjoyable read aloud from about 8. A gentle, relatable family comedy with low peril and a warm handling of school rivalry.
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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
- Relatable realistic
- Jacqueline wilson fans
- School stories
Avoid if
- Wants fantasy or adventure
- Prefers high stakes
Particularly good for children who are…
- Being bullied
- Making friends
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The café is in trouble again - too many beans, not enough sense - and the family's madcap fixes keep going hilariously wrong. Best of all, help comes from Hope's own arch-enemy, which makes for a funny, satisfying twist on the school-rival story.
- Being understood finally
- Proving yourself
- Family belonging
Why parents love it
A fast, funny follow-up that keeps the warmth and honesty of the first book, handling rivalry and pressure with a light touch. Katie Abey's illustrations keep it inviting, and it's an easy recommendation for Jacqueline Wilson fans.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
In the series
Café Chaos.
2 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
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