The Candymakers

Four twelve-year-old contestants arrive at the Life is Sweet candy factory to compete in the annual candymaking competition. Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip each bring their own talents and motivations to create an original candy that could win the grand prize. The story follows each contestant's perspective on the same events at the factory, revealing new information and connections with each retelling. As the competition progresses, secrets emerge about the contestants' true reasons for entering and their links to the factory's past. The narrative explores themes of friendship, trust, and finding one's place in the world, while incorporating details about the art and science of candy making. Through their experiences in the competition, the young contestants learn about themselves and each other while facing challenges that test their abilities and character.

Readers describe this as a mystery that unfolds through multiple perspectives, comparing it to The Westing Game but with candy-making elements. Many young readers report re-reading it multiple times. Liked: - Complex characters with unique backstories - Details about candy-making process - Plot twists that connect well at the end - Balanced humor and serious themes - Appeals to both children and adults Disliked: - First 100 pages move slowly - Some found the multiple perspectives confusing - A few readers thought the ending was rushed - Several mentioned it was too long for middle-grade Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (22,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (1,000+ ratings) Common Sense Media: 4/5 Notable reader comment: "Like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The View from Saturday - a puzzle box of a story that's worth sticking with even when it seems slow." - Goodreads reviewer

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🍭 Much like the story's candy competition, author Wendy Mass participated in candy-making classes to accurately describe the process in the book. 🏭 The Candymakers was inspired by Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but Mass wanted to explore the actual science behind candy-making rather than focus on fantasy elements. 🍫 The character Daisy Carpenter's ability to lift heavy objects was based on real cases of people displaying extraordinary strength during emergency situations, known as hysterical strength. 📚 The book's structure, telling the same story from four different perspectives, was deliberately designed to show readers how different people can experience the same events in completely different ways. 🌿 Logan's ability to identify ingredients by taste is based on "supertasters," real people who have more taste buds than average and can detect subtle flavors others cannot perceive.