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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book kind of jumped the shark after the first part. It recovered after awhile, and it was still entertaining, but it was still kind of unbelievable.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
I loved this book because the sections were in the point of view of the different main characters. It was a very structured story line and it had just the right proportions of mystery, magic and candy.
Thirty-two 12-year-olds are selected from around the country to participate in the Annual Candymakers Contest. Mass's story focuses on four of them-- Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Philip-- who will meet at the factory owned by Logan's parents a couple of days before submissions are due for a crash-course in candymaking. While the title and cover description make comparisons with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" almost unavoidable, Mass has other plans up her sleeve, which she slowly lets readers in on over the course of the story. As the narrative opens, we see events unfolding through the eyes of Logan, the Candymaker's son, and this is where she may lose some readers... the story gets off to a slow start. But about 100 pages in, as the perspective shifts from Logan to Miles, readers get their first surprise, and from that point on, as it later shifts to Daisy and then Philip, the story turns into a roller-coaster ride of adventure and uncovered secrets. None of the four contestants are what they first appear, and as their secrets come to light, the strands weave together into an unexpected and satisfying conclusion. Nine- through twelve-year-olds who persevere through the not-as-exciting start to the book won't be disappointed with this multi-layered sweet treat.
This was a fun read. I especially liked how there was a section of the book from the perspective of each of the contestants. You think you know what's going on, but reading about the same event from a different perspective changes how you see the event - and the people involved. I'm usually not a fan of books that do this, but it really worked well here.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
I read this book as a kid and loved it so when I saw it at a booksale I had to pick it up. A lot of the times when I re-read books from my childhood as an adult I don’t enjoy them as much, but, that was not the case here.
I think I enjoyed this book more as an adult than I did as a kid. Wendy Mass does an amazing job talking about big emotions like grief, jealousy, anger, forgiveness, teamwork and friendship in a way a child could understand. I feel like adults sometimes forget that kids feel many of the same emotions as we do and I love how it is represented in this book.
I think I enjoyed this book more as an adult than I did as a kid. Wendy Mass does an amazing job talking about big emotions like grief, jealousy, anger, forgiveness, teamwork and friendship in a way a child could understand. I feel like adults sometimes forget that kids feel many of the same emotions as we do and I love how it is represented in this book.
This book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Gollywhopper Games. Loved the descriptions of candy making and the various rooms in the Life is Sweet factory. The four main characters narrating very cleverly added on to each other's perspective to help the reader figure out motivations, etc. A fun and quick read.