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franklyfrank's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
magicianactor's review against another edition
3.0
This is a super fun read but I found a random appearance of a gun towards the end to be unnecessary. Could be prudish or whatever, but with everything else clever going on, for third graders, the bad guys could have done something else?
authorlibrarianrachel's review against another edition
4.0
I love this book. It’s funny. The characters are clever. Lots of references to noir/bootleggers/classic detective stories. It’s a near perfect parody. But, how many generation alpha kids are going to appreciate these references? Probably not.
katlikespie's review against another edition
3.0
*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title, in exchange for an honest review.*
Nelle Faulker is a private detective. She even has her own office out in the shed behind the house. Her town had had its fair share of drama, thanks to the sugar prohibition that the mayor started. Now, if you wanted candy, you had to go looking.
Her newest case sounds easy enough - a missing teddy bear - except that it belongs to notorious kid candy-smuggler Eddie de Menthe. Nelle never wanted to get mixed up with the Candy Mafia - sure, she wasn't above the occasional chocolate, but she wasn't about to start working for them - except, she knew Eddie. They used to play in the sandbox together as kids. What could looking for an old teddy bear hurt?
When the case turns more complicated, involving all three smuggling dons, a couple of nosy police officers, and more confusion than she expected, Nelle starts to regret taking the case - but she's in things like bubble gum in someone's hair. It's too late to pull out now.
Reader's Notes: A very cute kid-friendly version of a hard-boiled detective story, though I'm sure the references will be way over the heads of most kids reading it.
Nelle Faulker is a private detective. She even has her own office out in the shed behind the house. Her town had had its fair share of drama, thanks to the sugar prohibition that the mayor started. Now, if you wanted candy, you had to go looking.
Her newest case sounds easy enough - a missing teddy bear - except that it belongs to notorious kid candy-smuggler Eddie de Menthe. Nelle never wanted to get mixed up with the Candy Mafia - sure, she wasn't above the occasional chocolate, but she wasn't about to start working for them - except, she knew Eddie. They used to play in the sandbox together as kids. What could looking for an old teddy bear hurt?
When the case turns more complicated, involving all three smuggling dons, a couple of nosy police officers, and more confusion than she expected, Nelle starts to regret taking the case - but she's in things like bubble gum in someone's hair. It's too late to pull out now.
Reader's Notes: A very cute kid-friendly version of a hard-boiled detective story, though I'm sure the references will be way over the heads of most kids reading it.
jbrooxd's review against another edition
3.0
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
3.5 stars - Good+
A fun premise to this one - Noir detective tropes with a candy prohibition/mafia setting. There are some good twists to the mystery here. I felt like the characters could have been developed a little more and maybe a stronger motive for the villain.
I loved the hints at how much of their childhood the kids had lost because of prohibition and their smuggling. I would have loved to have seen that teased out more.
I think this would make for a fun read-aloud!
3.5 stars - Good+
A fun premise to this one - Noir detective tropes with a candy prohibition/mafia setting. There are some good twists to the mystery here. I felt like the characters could have been developed a little more and maybe a stronger motive for the villain.
I loved the hints at how much of their childhood the kids had lost because of prohibition and their smuggling. I would have loved to have seen that teased out more.
I think this would make for a fun read-aloud!
kateteaching7and8's review against another edition
4.0
@Kidlitexchange
Thank you to @peachtreepublishing for sharing an advance copy of The Candy Mafia by @lavietidhar and illustrated by Daniel Duncan with the #Kidlitexchange network. This middle grade novel was released on September 1, 2020. All opinions are my own.
Twelve-year-old Nelle Faulkner is a detective in a city where candy is outlawed. Since the prohibition went into effect, kid candy smuggles and gangs have popped up around the city. The three largest gangs are ran by Eddie de Menthe, Waffles Mackenzie, and a girl called Sweetcakes. When Eddie shows up on Nelle's doorstep asking her to find a missing teddy bear, Nelle believes she's starting an innocent investigation. She soon discovers that she's investigating something far more sinister than a missing a teddy bear. Soon after Eddie goes missing, Nelle's office is ransacked, and two detectives start hassling her. In order to find Eddie and get to the bottom of all that is wrong in her town, Nelle will have to unmask the real candy smugglers.
The Candy Mafia is a fun middle grades mystery. I like that it has old school gumshoe vibes. It's also full of delicious sweet and corny puns. The narrative is easy to get into and full of humor. There are twists, turns, and action scenes. The book is also illustrated. I really enjoyed the illustrations and Duncan's style. While there are modern elements, the illustrations add to the throwback vibes of the narrative and make me think of old school detective stories. I I would definitely describe this book as young. While it is a mystery and it's fun to follow Nelle's investigation the plot isn't overly complex. The chapters are fairly short and written with an engaging and fun narrative voice that draws the reader in and makes the book a fairly quick read. This would be a great book for a reader who enjoys a good mystery, but who is also looking for a bit of humor.
Thank you to @peachtreepublishing for sharing an advance copy of The Candy Mafia by @lavietidhar and illustrated by Daniel Duncan with the #Kidlitexchange network. This middle grade novel was released on September 1, 2020. All opinions are my own.
Twelve-year-old Nelle Faulkner is a detective in a city where candy is outlawed. Since the prohibition went into effect, kid candy smuggles and gangs have popped up around the city. The three largest gangs are ran by Eddie de Menthe, Waffles Mackenzie, and a girl called Sweetcakes. When Eddie shows up on Nelle's doorstep asking her to find a missing teddy bear, Nelle believes she's starting an innocent investigation. She soon discovers that she's investigating something far more sinister than a missing a teddy bear. Soon after Eddie goes missing, Nelle's office is ransacked, and two detectives start hassling her. In order to find Eddie and get to the bottom of all that is wrong in her town, Nelle will have to unmask the real candy smugglers.
The Candy Mafia is a fun middle grades mystery. I like that it has old school gumshoe vibes. It's also full of delicious sweet and corny puns. The narrative is easy to get into and full of humor. There are twists, turns, and action scenes. The book is also illustrated. I really enjoyed the illustrations and Duncan's style. While there are modern elements, the illustrations add to the throwback vibes of the narrative and make me think of old school detective stories. I I would definitely describe this book as young. While it is a mystery and it's fun to follow Nelle's investigation the plot isn't overly complex. The chapters are fairly short and written with an engaging and fun narrative voice that draws the reader in and makes the book a fairly quick read. This would be a great book for a reader who enjoys a good mystery, but who is also looking for a bit of humor.
mrs_mazzola_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Nelle is a 12-year-old private detective working from her mother's garden shed and in desperate need of a new case when Eddie de Menthe (notorious candy smuggler) seeks out her services to find a lost teddy bear. When it turns out that the teddy bear may belong to the owner of the closed candy factory (a Prohibition on candy caused the factory to shutter its doors), the case begins to get very interesting.
There is a slow burn in the beginning that leads to some fun and intense action sequences at the end. I love stories where there is a villain, and the villains here are definitely bad and threatening and the mystery has a quite a few red herrings, which will definitely be interesting to mystery readers. Unfortunately, the language and setting are a throwback to old film noir / hardboiled detective stories, and unless you have that as a frame of reference (something that I know many of my students will not have), it just feels weird and disengaging to read. Will not be purchasing at this time.
**Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for a digital copy. All opinions are my own.
There is a slow burn in the beginning that leads to some fun and intense action sequences at the end. I love stories where there is a villain, and the villains here are definitely bad and threatening and the mystery has a quite a few red herrings, which will definitely be interesting to mystery readers. Unfortunately, the language and setting are a throwback to old film noir / hardboiled detective stories, and unless you have that as a frame of reference (something that I know many of my students will not have), it just feels weird and disengaging to read. Will not be purchasing at this time.
**Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for a digital copy. All opinions are my own.
desertdwellingbibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
ARC provided by publisher.
A well-told detective story for middle-grade readers that will keep them guessing! Candy has become illegal. Town kids begin to smuggle it in and start up mafia-type operations to combat the order of the mayor. When one child shows up in the office of Nelle, a young girl aspiring to be a detective, in search of a missing teddy, it is up to her to crack a case bigger than she imagined.
The tone of this book made me feel like I was right in the middle of an on old detective movie. Tidhar does a great job at weaving together a fun mystery that makes worldly issues relatable to children. After all, what child doesn’t have a candy that they love? He displays how to stand up for what is right, and hold strong to who you are even when others try to make you feel small.
A well-told detective story for middle-grade readers that will keep them guessing! Candy has become illegal. Town kids begin to smuggle it in and start up mafia-type operations to combat the order of the mayor. When one child shows up in the office of Nelle, a young girl aspiring to be a detective, in search of a missing teddy, it is up to her to crack a case bigger than she imagined.
The tone of this book made me feel like I was right in the middle of an on old detective movie. Tidhar does a great job at weaving together a fun mystery that makes worldly issues relatable to children. After all, what child doesn’t have a candy that they love? He displays how to stand up for what is right, and hold strong to who you are even when others try to make you feel small.
andthedreamsthatareanswered's review against another edition
4.0
I was sent an early copy of this via Netgalley.
This was such a cute little mystery. I really enjoyed that Nelle was a PI for her little town and she was investigating a missing teddy bear and how there was a mystery on top of that. The whole idea of a candy bootlegging thing going on and that there was a turf war between three kids.
I loved this little story and think it is definitely worth the read. I think middlegrade readers will love it.
This was such a cute little mystery. I really enjoyed that Nelle was a PI for her little town and she was investigating a missing teddy bear and how there was a mystery on top of that. The whole idea of a candy bootlegging thing going on and that there was a turf war between three kids.
I loved this little story and think it is definitely worth the read. I think middlegrade readers will love it.