Review by Booklist Review
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.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Imagine living in a world full of sweet, rich, delectable candy. That's what 12-year-old Logan does every day in this novel (Little Brown, 2010) by Wendy Maas. His family owns and lives at the Life Is Sweet factory. But being the descendant of a famous candy-making family has its disadvantages. Logan feels he must win the annual Confectionary Association's Best New Candy contest. He dreams of perfecting his idea for a Bubbletastic Choc-Rocket. In preparation for the contest, three competitors show up for practice at the candy factory. Miles, a boy obsessed with something from his past, likes to speak backwards. Daisy, a kind girl who likes romance novels, shows athletic prowess, and arrives at the candy factory on a horse. Philip isn't afraid to be abrasive or secretive. It's not long before strange things start happening, and it becomes apparent that there is a spy among them. This delicious story unfolds through the four different points of view of the contestants. Clever and fun, each character contributes to the adventure with a flawed but likeable uniqueness that is full of surprises. Mark Turetsky does a flawless job of creating different voices for each character. Fans of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and mysteries will be charmed by this delectable treat.-Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Four children compete in a candy-making contest. Logan, son of a candymaker, hosts the other three at the factory: the outrageously competitive Philip; Daisy, who arrives on a horse; and Miles, who claims to be allergic to everything from pancakes to merry-go-rounds. The book's first three hundred-plus pages follow the contestants separately through the same few days, and as each character gets a turn, each is revealed to be surprisingly different from what they seemed at first. The final 150 pages complete the rest of the story with lots of twists and turns. Cooking show fans may enjoy this book the most, as Mass conveys a lot of information about the candy-making process, but mystery lovers will like it, too. Mass also explores the psychological underpinnings of each of the four characters, and while repeating the events of the same few days from the different perspectives slows the story, it deepens the reader's understanding of each child's motives, providing an overall message about not leaping to conclusions when you first meet someone. The novel satisfies without being sticky-sweet. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Set in a candy factory as tantalizingly fragrant as Willy Wonka's, this half-mystery, halfjigsaw-puzzle novel is a mild-mannered cousin to The Westing Game and When You Reach Me. Four 12-year-olds enter a candy-making contest. Logan lives in the confection plant with his parents, who own it; he narrates first, then the arc rewinds for the other contestants' viewpoints. Miles, who witnessed a drowning, adds a poignant fragility in his portion. Daisy narrates and readers seeshockinglythat she's a professional spy. Philip's no spy, but his section reveals unsavory intentions on multiple levels. There's no murder herenor even death, it turns out; instead, there's forgiveness, correction of dishonor and an alignment of seemingly disparate events. This isn't fantasy, though it calls for a heaping cup of (enjoyable) suspension of disbelief (unflaggingly supportive grown-ups; chocolate pizza for lunch; adult confirmation that chocolate could potentially turn into gum and back again). Sweets fans will love the gooey sensory details. Earnest and sweet, with enough salty twists not to taste saccharine. (Fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
