If you were in a candy-making contest, what would you make? Would it be a chocolate or gum? Would it be a hard candy or a gummy? The national candy-making contest is just a few days away and all 32 kids will be submitting their candy. The winning candy will be made and available all around the country. Logan, Miles, Daisy and Philip meet at the Life is Sweet factory ready to make their candy. Who will be the winner? Will it be Logan, the Candy-maker’s son? Miles, who is always talking about the after life and speaking backwards? Daisy, is always disappearing and reads her books aloud? Or is it Philip, who is always writing things in his little blue note book? This book is filled with mysteries, secrets, and (of course) candy making! The Candymakers, written by Wendy Mass, is an exciting book that you are guaranteed to enjoy!

Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip have been picked, along with 28 other kids from around the country, to enter annual candy contest. On the first day they patient waiting outside of the Life is Sweet factory for their first day of work. They meet Max who gives them a tour of the factor. They explore all the different rooms and meet all the experts. Later, they learn about some of the machines that will help them make their candy, for example, one machine puts a hard shell onto your piece of candy. The next day, they come back and get right to work. On the day of the contest, they all get in to a car and drive to the contest together with their candy on their lap. When they reach they other factory the contest is in, they line their candy up beside their name tag. They wait as the judges go around and rate the candy. This is the moment they have all been waiting for.

I liked the writing style of this book. There are four different characters that tell the story from each of their perspectives. This was a very good writing style for this story because it allows the reader to know what each character is thinking and doing. Also, it wouldn’t make any sense if it was written from one point of view. This way of writing gives you information about the characters, and what they had done before they all met. The first part, told by Logan, may seem a bit confusing at first, but it’ll make more sense once you read the next part about Miles. In addition, Wendy Mass put in just enough information throughout the book so you could tell what was happening but not get the feeling that you are rereading the same book four times, since you read the same story told by four people. Over all, I think this was a really effective writing style for this book.

One thing I learned from reading this book was that people can change overtime. The main person I learned this from was Philip, yet everyone in the book did change a little bit by the end of the story. He comes to the factory the first day and is very unfriendly. He stays a distance away from Miles and Daisy and is very impatient to get into the factory. He has on a business suit, he carries a briefcase, and he is always writing in a strange notebook that he is very secretive about. Philip was impatient and he wasn’t very friendly. By the end of the book, his personality changed and I think he learned a lot from his experience in the factory. In the real world, it is good advice to get to really know a person before you judge them. This shows that over time, someone can become a completely different person.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great book to read. The Candymakers is a good book to sit back and relax with. It is a really good mystery, but also part of the story is about the characters’ friendship. At the beginning, they are kind of awkwardly saying a few things to each other, but by the end of the book they become really close and work together. It’s amazing how much a person can change in a couple of days. Also, I love how creative this book is. The description of the factory and the names of the all the candy are really easy to picture in your mind since there is so much description. Do you know what a Bubbletastic ChocoRocket is? At first you might think it is delicious, appetizing, and mouthwatering chocolate, but no, there’s more. As soon as you put it in your mouth it begins to melt and is the best tasting chocolate you have ever had. First chew, second chew, third chew and it has magical turned into gum. Fourth chew, fifth chew, and it’s back to chocolate, it’s a two-in-one candy! The Candymakers would definitely be the book that comes to mind when someone asks for a good book to read.


All in all, The Candymakers is a fun mystery that you’ll definitely enjoy. Join Miles, Philip, Logan, and Daisy as they learn the true art of candy making. There is so much adventure and surprises you will find once you start reading this book. There’s only a one out of thirty-two chance each kid will win. There are a ton of little problems that are happening at the same time as main plot is going on. Will they get solved and end happily? Who will win the contest? The only way to find out is to pick up a copy of The Candymakers and start reading right away. This is an outstanding book you won’t regret reading.