I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy from Little Brown of The Candymakers written by one of my favorite writers (and generally all around wonderful person) Wendy Mass. As I am not the only WM fan in my house the book was immediately commandeered by my 9-year-old son. After devouring it, he returned it with a beaming expression – and a review of high praise. I must agree.
The Candymakers may be one of the author’s finest books for the middle grade reader – infusing the imaginative deliciousness of a Wonka-esque candy factory tour with the rich nougat filling of an engaging mystery — and then swirling the whole thing in delicate spun sugar. Mass uses parallel tellings of the same story as four children compete in a national candy-making competition, each with their own reasons for wanting (or needing) to win it.
As with any Wendy Mass book, the characters are as clever and appealing as their stories. There is Logan (the Candymaker’s son) who has a gift for understanding chocolate; Miles, who seems to be allergic to everything including the color pink; Daisy, the girl with a big smile and unusual abilities; and Philip, the sour-faced and secretive (but well-dressed) bully. The characters’ stories are beautifully interwoven, each playing a part in the overall mystery. To say any more than that would be completely spoilery.
With Halloween just around the corner, this is the perfect time to enter Mass’s scrumptious world where lunch means chocolate pizza and friendship is always sweet.
With Halloween just around the corner, this is the perfect time to enter Mass’s scrumptious world where lunch means chocolate pizza and friendship is always sweet.
5 candy corns… I mean, bookmarks.
2 comments:
I found Candymakers... captivating! I read it for about 5 hours straight just so I could figure out what happened in the end. It was ingenious for Wendy Mass to repeat the same story from a different perspective. It is something I wish I could do when I write in my journal. I loved how the stories of Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip are some inertwined with each other. Wendy never left a mystery un-solved even if she kept you waiting. It was a funny, touching, and super sweet story. I was so downcast when I finished because I couldn't keep reading it!
~Abbie H.
i just started reading this book and i cant put it down.it would be really cool to be able to do something like that. :)
Post a Comment