I just love Wendy Mass. She is a master storyteller. First of all, who wouldn't want to read a book about candy? That's an easy one. Then you have to really hold on to the reader, though. Ms. Mass does it so well...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. - From Booklist
What is so wonderful about this book is that every time you think you have the characters figured out and you know what's going on - you don't. That's what makes a great page turner.
Loved it!
