The CandyMakers by Wendy Mass

Reviewed by Abella 

Logan wakes up to the sweet smell of candy, wafting through the air and the hum of the candy machines. This day would be one in a lifetime! This year is the Annual Candy Contest, and he could finally win! But the pressure is immense, he is the candy maker's son, and he is expected to win among the hundreds of others. I mean, who could beat the Neon Yellow Lightning Chew or the Oozing Crunchorama? But with the guidance of his friends, it doesn’t seem nearly as impossible. But when things finally come his way, something goes terribly wrong.

In The CandyMakers By Wendy Mass, Logan is a 12-year-old boy and is the Candymaker’s son. He is going to compete in the candy contest with 100 other eager children to get their candy produced by one of the most popular candy factories in the world! One of which is Life is Sweet which happens to be the place Logan lives or Mmmm Mmmm Good. He is learning the secrets of candy making with three other kids, Miles, Daisy, and Philip. Logan isn’t that good of a candymaker but is getting there. In this contest they compete in wits and sugar and it gets messy! Logan is going to go through a lot, from mysteries to surprises, and even maybe betrayal. Will he come to the top? Or will he fail and be a disgrace to his family?

One reason I liked The CandyMakers is because of the twists and suspense. One second you're just reading about candy, and the next you're on the edge of your chair because Logan suddenly hears a loud BANG and runs to the scene only to find a dark figure stealing the secret ingredient. I won’t say that much because I don’t want to be giving away some of the twists in the book. But if you do want to figure out who is stealing the secret ingredient, you should read the book! 

The second reason I liked The CandyMakers is because of the changing perspectives of the characters! I really enjoyed knowing in the scenes not only how Logan felt but, how everyone else did, and how life was at home for them and everywhere else! I found that this was interesting because some of the other characters did some questionable things, and when it comes to their section to speak, a lot of those things get answered. Like why Philup has such a bad attitude in the candy store, and why Daisy has such a heavy purse when she first arrives.

I would rank the novel 9/10 because it is very interesting and has some suspense, but the beginning is really long and made me a little bored. But after the beginning it gets really interesting and exciting! I think girls and boys would like The Candymakers because the main character is a boy and I’m a girl but I still really enjoyed it. Although the book is not in a series, you can read some other really good books by Wendy Mass, like Bob or Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. If you're interested already,  then why not go down to your local library and dive into The Candymakers?

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 480 pages