The Candymakers [Hardcover]

Wendy Mass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2010 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 740L (What's this?)

Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Lightning Chew?

Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone?

Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink?

Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather?

Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook?

This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8–Children running amok in a candy factory, immortalized by Roald Dahl, is one story line that bears repeating. At the Life Is Sweet factory, four 12-year-olds gather to create new goodies for the annual Confectionery Association Conference. Logan, the Candymaker's son, dreams of winning his family's respect. Miles's parents hope the experience will help him forget a tragic accident he couldn't prevent. Daisy is fascinated by the factory, but for what reason? And Philip scribbles in his secret notebook, determined to win at all costs. When the factory's secret ingredient is stolen, the children find a common purpose: to foil the plot by creating the best candy ever. The tidy conclusion has a few contrivances, but none that will bother children. Mass has crafted a solid mystery dipped in sweet candy-making details. Character development moves a lengthy story forward in smooth increments. As each child's story emerges, the mystery becomes one bit clearer, making this a real page-turner. The characters are intricate, flawed heroes with whom readers will identify. The book's subtle message of teamwork over greed and growth through friendship will resonate with readers and educators alike. A magical setting filled with conveyor belts, chocolate jungles, and beehives makes it clear what the youngsters are attempting to save. Give this mouthwatering confection to children who like Trenton Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society (Little, Brown, 2007) and other quirky mysteries.–Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CTα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

It starts with unmistakable echoes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and eventually features a musical candy a la Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s “Toot Sweets,” but Mass’ latest novel ends up being a treat all its own. Four 12-year-olds gather at a candy factory to participate in the local segment of a nationwide contest to create a new and delectable piece of candy. One contestant is the only child of the factory’s owner, known here as the Candymaker. Another boy is obsessed with allergies and the afterlife, while the third boy is unfriendly and intent on winning. The lone girl, Daisy, seems to be sweetness itself but displays great physical strength as well as odd behavior. Mass skillfully presents the two and a half days of the kids’ apprenticeship from the perspective of each of the four contestants. At over four hundred pages, this is not a lightning-fast read, but it reveals a multitude of mysteries, explaining all the clues about misunderstandings, spies, and sabotage that Mass has dropped along the way. Attentive, candy-loving readers will be richly rewarded. Grades 4-6. --Abby Nolan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Original edition (October 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316002585
• ISBN-13: 978-0316002585
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (147 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wendy Mass is the author of "A Mango-Shaped Space" and "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life," published by Little, Brown in November 2006. She lives with her family in Sparta, NJ.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#92 in Books > Teens

#92 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Candymakers November 11, 2010

By James F. Booth

Format:Hardcover

I don't know how she does it, but Wendy Mass just hits it out of the park with every book I read by her. The way she writes her characters make them compelling, realistic, and hard to leave behind when the book is over. Even though the book is 450 pages (it's a surprisingly quick read), I still felt sad when I got to the last page and had to leave these wonderful characters behind.

What's fun about this book is that it's told in 5 parts- the first four give each character to give their own account of the two days spent at the candy factory and then the fifth goes back to Logan for the night before and day of the contest. It was interesting to read what each character was thinking during a particular scene but it also didn't get repetitive as the same scenes weren't focused on in each part. Not only that, but I really enjoyed the callbacks to previous sections and having to piece the puzzle together as the story went on. What was also cool was the various prior connections between the four kids that come out as the novel goes on.

The humor in this book was fantastic. I was laughing out loud many times during the course of the book. It was wonderful. Also, candy will have to be present while reading this novel because the kids take a tour of a candy factory and of course have to make their own candy as well, and Mass doesn't spare on the descriptions. It was sad for me because I was poor at the time of reading it so I couldn't go out and buy some candy to munch on. It was amazing too to read all the fun candy names and descriptions she came up with for the factory to have, as well as the contest entries too.

Overall, this is a wonderful middle-grade novel with a fun and fast storyline but with some great depth to it. A must-read!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book! December 25, 2010

By A Customer

Format:Kindle Edition

This book is great! I totally recomend it for kids my age Junior High or even sixth graders. The book is split into four parts. Each of the four parts is about each of the kids, each part has excitement in it and a little suspense! I won't tell anymore. I hope you love the book!

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sweet" book! October 11, 2010

By A Customer

Format:Kindle Edition

This book was fabulous! Told from 4 kid's perspective, this book went into every kid's thoughts and ideas. A book about true friendship, finding yourself, and most importantly, CANDY! Wendy Mass has done it again, another fantastic book! This book features three 12 year old kids and one who's ... older, tweens will love this book as have I, an eleven and a half year old :) If you have read this review and are considering buying the book, buy it!