Life Is Sweet in The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase

Fall is a time when we pack in a lot of extra reading. We snuggle in close and read books aloud together or quietly indulge in our own individual books. And when The Candymakers arrived, our reading days got that much sweeter. So before your middle grader has a chance to say, “Mom, I’m boooored!” send him or her off on this fun literary getaway by Wendy Mass, the New York Times bestselling author of 18 novels for young readers.
Four lucky 12-year-olds have a chance to compete to create the world’s tastiest sweet in the first novel in the series, 2011’s The Candymakers. Will Logan, the Candymaker’s son who lives in this world of sweet candy, inherit the title? Or will Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds, claim the prize? Or will the winner be the cheerful, romance-loving Daisy who can also lift a fifty-pound piece of taffy, or the suit-and-tie-clad Philip who writes down everything in a secret notebook? The Candymakers is a vivid tale told from the perspectives of all four candidates. It’s not long after the four start working on their confectionary creations that strange things start to happen. This delicious tale has all the tasty hallmarks of a thriller with precocious children; intrigue, friendship, spies and lots of secrets. Unlike in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the original candy-making adventure, these four contestants must pool their talents and work together on one candy in order to win the competition and save the chocolate factory. In the end, the secret ingredient to winning this prize is teamwork.

Now, five years later, Mass is back with this gang of four and even more candy-filled adventure in The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase. This thrilling sequel picks up a few months after (spoiler alert!) the Harmonicandy was chosen as the winner of the candy making contest. But now Logan, who can identify ingredients by taste, notices there’s something different about the chocolate in this version of the Harmonicandy from the original. So the four friends join forces again to go on tour to promote the new candy and to discover the mystery behind the altered chocolate. Along the way, we find out each one has his or her own very personal reasons for wanting to hit the road, too. As in the first book, this story is told from four individual perspectives up until the on-the-road adventure begins. At that point, it’s a shared journey, complete with a tricked-out RV, a mysterious contract, imaginary worlds, a map of awe, a special blue cocoa bean and of course, lots of candy. And along the way, all four kids find out a lot more about themselves—and their families.

This tale is full of adventure and suspense, with twists and turns that will keep you entertained until the last page. Part of the book’s appeal is the author’s ability to celebrate the unusual qualities of her characters, much like she did in A Mango-Shaped Space, whose protagonist has synesthesia and sees colors rather than letters. Although Mass’s characters may feel isolated at times by their uniqueness, they also must learn to share that uniqueness with others. Logan, Miles, Daisy and Philip must not only trust each other enough to reveal their true selves, but also learn to appreciate what each of them has to offer in order to face what lies ahead. So, grab a few pieces of candy and get cozy waiting for Halloween with this page-turner. You’ll end up with some pretty sweet dreams to boot!
The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase is on B&N bookshelves now!