Reviews

Confessions of a Candy Snatcher by Phoebe Sinclair

tavvyink's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jesskaleach's review

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hckilgour's review

I dnf’ed at 6%.

I want to start by saying there was nothing inherently wrong with this book. The initial plot was interesting and had me guessing. The characters were realistic and had the potential for a lot of development.

But I’m a 28 year old woman reading a book designed for 12-13 year old boys. I can usually read middle grade books and enjoy them. But this one just didn’t spark my interest.

I do however thing that this is a book that will be greatly enjoyed by its target audience.

elyssam's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Confessions of a Candy Snatcher is an engaging book about a middle school boy who thinks the worst thing he’s ever done occurred during Halloween night when he snatched candy. What occurred during the candy snatching remains a mystery to the reader, as Jonas navigated the fallout of that night. 

I really wished this had more Halloween elements… That being said, this story explores boundaries, family dynamics, and friendships. I really annoyed the narration. You could sense the urgency, the anger, the confusion coming from Jonas. 

There were some moments that had me questioning the writing and the intended audience of the book. Is this how 12-year-old boys act? I’ve never been one and haven’t been around any since my own middle school days, if I’m being honest.

The bigger conversations (consent, for example) were not completely addressed which left the ultimate message of the story muddled. Why introduce an important topic if you’re just going to reduce it to a few sentences or a short conversation? 

As someone who listened to the audio, I feel like I lost out on seeing the illustrations so I’d reccomend going with a eBook or physical copy (paired with audio is fine!) for that full engagement.