Ellis’s parents recently divorced, and Ellis, who is Black, resents having to spend the summer of 1976 with his dad while his mom takes some time to herself. Ellis’s dad is a dreamer who has had one failing business idea after another. Now he’s embarking on a new venture: a chocolate chip cookie shop. Ellis loves his dad’s cookies, but who’s ever heard of a cookie store? As Ellis helps get the shop ready to open, he gets to know some of the people in the Los Angeles neighborhood where the store is located. The coolest is DJ Wishbone, who clearly has a tense and mysterious history with Ellis’s dad that Ellis is determined to discover. DJ Wishbone spins records at KIRA and invites music-lover Ellis to watch him work. Then there are the surfing kids Ellis meets on the city bus, the bus driver, and others; as well as Ellis’s dad, grandma, and best friend Alex (white), all rooting for the store to be a success. And in the midst of it all, Ellis realizes that his dad is trying as hard to build a stronger relationship with Ellis as he is to build a business. A premise that could have easily been over the top hits the sweet spot in this entertaining story about family, friendship, and community. (Ages 8-11)