The Candymakers

When it’s time for the annual candy making contest, Logan can’t wait to open the doors of the Life is Sweet candy factory to his fellow contestants. As the current candymaker’s son, he’s familiar with every wonder filled aspect of the factory, and is hoping to win the contest and prove himself. But of course, the other three contestants in Wendy Mass’s The Candymakers are hoping to win the contest too. Each of the contestants has a strange quirk, and as the story is told over again from each of their perspectives, it soon becomes obvious that not all of them are there just to make candy. Some things just don’t add up: Logan has mysterious scars, Daisy can lift more weight than most grown men, Miles speaks in his own show more language, and Philip is always dressed in a suit and jotting things down in a mysterious notebook. Then, of course, there is the night that they all catch each other trying to steal the factory’s secret ingredient.
The Candymakers is an engaging story that is one part mystery, and what part sweet and whimsical. Mass has created a cast of strong characters, from the four main children to the adults that surround them. Even though the story is re-told four times, it never gets old because each candymaker fills in the gaps of the previous candymakers’ points of view. Mass’ style allows readers to truly understand what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and the story of friendship that results from the layered stories is all the more moving for knowing the individual perspectives. Each narrator’s section opens with their cartoon silhouette in a frame, which adds to the mystery of the book since you cannot see their faces. This heartwarming mystery is sure to melt the hearts of readers and make them hunger for a piece of chocolate pizza. Recommended for grades 5 and up. show less

I picked this up at ALA with much excitement. It was described to me as "Willy Wonka meets Mysterious Benedict Society" and I liked at least one of Wendy Mass's previous books. As I started in on it, I was pleased to find decent jokes, a quick-ish pace, and lots of mouth-watering candy descriptions. The structure of the book is interesting too: Each of the four main characters (Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip) narrate separate sections of the book. So after we've read Logan's POV, we go back in time and see the day through Miles' eyes, then Daisy's, etc. So it's a slow reveal of what's really going on, which definitely keeps the pages a-turnin'.

The mystery is very Wonka-esque. Three kids are invited to a candy factory to learn about show more candymaking so they can enter a candymaking contest (Logan, the fourth contestant, is the candymaker's son and lives at the factory). It seems as though someone is after the factory's secret ingredient and may be trying to close it down. But who's the bad guy? Why do these kids have so many secrets? Who can be trusted? Will the four kids end up best friends or bitter enemies?

I was with this book right up until the end. The finale could have really popped, but instead it fizzled. And it got pretty cheesy, too. Still, 90% enjoyable isn't bad. I always think the toughest part of writing a mystery/adventure story is coming up with a satisfying ending. Maybe it's enough that the journey is exciting, even if the destination leaves something to be desired. I think I'll still recommend this one. The premise alone will make it an easy sell. show less

elementary & up

Four kids are visiting the Life is Sweet factory to take part in an annual Candymaker competition. Each is trying to come up with an idea for the next World's Greatest Candy. To add a little spice to the competition, it turns out that all of the contestants have both hidden talents and hidden secrets. Even more interesting is that someone is trying to steal the factory's secret ingredient.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It is told in sections. We are informed in the beginning that we need to listen to what the characters say and what they don't say. Then we get to live the first day of the competition through the eyes of contestant. I loved that. It starts off with Logan and we see him meeting the other characters. Each show more character has some little oddities that we don't fully understand until we see the same thing through their eyes. Talk about a great way to study characterization and viewpoint!
The way the different viewpoints of the story all came together was terrific. I was expecting a twist to come that was completely different from the twist that actually happened. I definitely recommend this book for any school level. It interests one of my 4th graders, it is aimed right at middle graders and it interested me. Fun for all ages!
http://www.lifeisbetterwithbooks.com/2012/05/candymakers.html show less

Wendy Mass is an amazing authos. Two of her books, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and Every Soul a Star are some of my favorite young adult stories. The Candymakers, her latest book is targeted for the middle grade audience and is a combination of Every Soul a Star and the classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The story revolves around a nation-wide search, for a 12-year old child who can make the most delicious and creative new candy. The four contestants include Logan, the candymaker's son, Daisy, who on the surface appears to be bright and bubbly, Miles, who is slightly neurotic, and Philip, all business in his suit and tie. But each of the contestants is hiding a secret and the story quickly becomes a mashup of Willy show more Wonka meets Alex Rider. The book is fun and engaging, but lacks some of the heart of her other stories that make them appeal to both kids and adults. Still a good recommendation for children. show less

The Life is Sweet candy factory is hosting four contestants in a candymaking contest; the winner's candy will be produced by the factory. One of the participants is Logan, the Candymaker's son, and his is the perspective the reader gets first, but each of the other three contestants - Miles, Daisy, and Philip - have their turns as well. Most of the story takes place over the two days in the factory, but a bit of each character's history is revealed too, and it turns out they are connected in complex and surprising ways. The four start as competitors, but as they learn more about each other, they become a team of friends.

See also: Mysterious Benedict Society, Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Quotes

"But what if show more he's wrong? To have faith in me, I mean. After all, I've been trying - and failing - to make this work for years. Why would that change with only one day left before the contest?"
Henry shrugged. "Things change when they're ready to change. People change when they're ready, too. You can never predict these things." (Logan and Henry, 75)

"Well, if you enjoy life while you have it, then it doesn't matter how long you have it for. No one knows how long they get to live. It's like a deal you make when you're born, you know, to accept what happens to you."
"Is that what you do, just accept what happens?"
Logan shrugged. "I guess so. What else can you do?"
"Well, you can dwell on it and play it over in your head a hundred different ways."
Logan tilted his head. "Does that help?"
Miles sighed. "No." (Logan and Miles, 111-112)

She had been taught not to question the motives of the client. After all, every story had two sides. Who was she to decide right from wrong? (Daisy, 211)

The thing about leaving something behind for the very last time is that you rarely realize you're doing it. (387) show less

Not as strong as some of her other works, Mass does succeed in creating another family friendly read with enough twists and creative turns to keep the story interesting.

The Candymakers focuses on four children, each ostensibly participating in the annual Candy Making Competition, but each bringing a little something extra to mix. They learn a little about competition and a little more about teamwork and a lot about the fact that there's more to life than a competition.

Where I feel the story falls short is that Mass had to come up with the backstories for each of the characters in order for them to "develop" in the way the novel required. These backstories became more than a little contrived - and unnecessarily so. I think an author as show more talented as Wendy Mass could have come up with something more "believable". True, this story is for children, but even my 11 year old daughter felt it all a little far fetched.

Enjoyable, but could have been better. show less

It is a very rare book that can take me through the entire emotional spectrum from a one star — can't finish — to five star — recommend this book to everyone. Usually by the first couple chapters, I have a pretty good idea of how I will rate the book at its conclusion. The Candymakers by Wendy Mass, though, completely surprised me. Slowly but surely it rewarded me for my patience.

Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip are the regional finalists for a nationwide candy making competition open to children age 12. Logan, as the candymaker's son at one of the host facilities, is an expected shoo-in given that his father and grandfather both won. Logan, though, knows he doesn't have what it takes to get the ingredients just right, even if he show more does have a stellar idea.

The competition gives a chance for readers to explore an extraordinary but still plausible (and grounded in reality) candy factory. Although Logan's family produces all of their ingredients on site (including a spectacular greenhouse for a mini forest of cacao and rubber trees), Mass avoids the temptation to make the factory an overt homage to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory (Roald Dahl, 1964), which means Logan's idea is bound to be too difficult or impossible to create.

But, Candymakers isn't about Logan flaming out either. It's so much more. The best way I can describe this book is as a tween candy making equivalent to the delightful manga and anime, Space Brothers. show less