Mrs. Hem

The Candymakers is a wonderful story about four 11-year old children who come from very different backgrounds, and who are all invited to take part in a candymaking contest for kids. Leo is the son of the owner of a candy factory, and has lived his whole life waiting for this moment, and who hasn't met another child beyond the property line. Daisy is a bright cheerful girl who can lift 50 pounds of taffy without a sweat. Phillip is a boy in a suit who pretends to be a man. Miles is a shy boy who always carries his books and his backpack, and who has never had a best friend. Will these four kids who have so many differences come together? I like this book because it is told from all four of the kid's viewpoints, and you always know who is narrating. This book reminds of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and in every chapter my mouth waters! This book is full of surprises and twists around every turn, and secrets all around! I loved it, and I love Wendy Mass! I recommend this book to anyone 9 years and older. I am super excited to read the new sequel!

The Candymakers is definitely a sweet surprise! The story takes place in the Life is Sweet candy factory where the candy-making contest was taking place. Daisy, Philips, Logan, and Miles are the four protagonists of the story. This book is unique compared to others because it gives the same story in four different perspectives. I appreciate that Wendy Mass presented the story in that format because it gives readers a sense of what is going on without giving only one biased perspective and it helps you understand each character better. The four are oblivious to the secrets each person held. Peculiarly, the secrets they had ended up to be what kept them apart, but they used it to protect the factory and to reconcile. By the end, everyone learns something about each other and became close friends.

I just read this book again, and I actually cannot stress how much I love this book. When I was done, there were literal tears in my eyes because I didn't want it to end! Logan, Daisy, Miles, and Philip are all kids in a new candy contest, and none are what they first appear to be. You develop opinions on each kid, until you read their perspective and your opinions change! This book teaches you not to judge a person by their looks or actions because you never know what they are going through in their life. This was a great mystery and one of my all-time favorite books. I strongly recommend this book for anyone and everyone!

"If nothing changed, there'd be no such things as butterflies." This was a sweet surprise! I mostly read adult fiction nowadays, but I've missed books like this! What surprised me is that THE CANDYMAKERS took itself surprisingly seriously - it sold itself as a mystery, and it was a mystery, and an especially good one at that! It starts out as a fun, sweet candy-making adventure, but it doesn't end on that note. It's never until it's over: THE CANDYMAKERS doesn't stop revealing secrets until the very last page. Somehow both unexpectedly funny and unexpectedly touching, THE CANDYMAKERS never turns treacly and the fun never fizzles out - it has plenty of meaningful stories to tell. There is something so nostalgic about reading something I would have enjoyed as a child. Some things never change: I will always love elaborate candy factories and child detectives, and this was the sweetest, funniest, smartest combination of both.