The Candymakers

Another Golden Sower Nominee Finished!!!

Do you like candy?  How much do you like candy? Maybe enough to enter a contest to create the next great sugary confection?

In The Candymakers, by Wendy Mass, twelve-year-olds across America compete to create the next BEST candy.  Four intrepid candymakers are assigned to the "Life is Sweet" candy factory, but each has a hidden agenda.

If Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Westing Game had a baby, it would be this book. The mystery slowly unravels while the point of view juggles between the contestants.  I love the twist at the end that eventually ties the characters together in a time before the contest.

I am afraid to say much more about this charming book, for fear of giving away a clue to the ending.  Don't be scared of this thick book, it is detailed, but who can resist such delicious descriptions!!

PIE and Wild Life

Two more Sower nominees down!

PIE by Sarah Weeks is a short, original mystery involving a secret pie crust recipe, a jealous mother, and a cat named Lardo.  Alice's favorite person in the world is her Aunt Polly, owner if the world famous PIE shop.  When Polly unexpectedly dies, and leaves her top secret pie crust to Lardo, Alice begins to see her small town and family come apart.  After she discovers the bakery in shambles after a break-in, Alice decides it's up to her to find the would be thief.  Great story, good for any boy or girl who enjoys a good quick mystery.  I finished reading PIE and immediately handed it to my middle school daughter to read!

My next book, Wild Life , by Cynthia DeFelice, is really geared toward middle level boys.  That said, I know that the girls it school that hunt with their families will love this title!

Erik has just had his whole world pulled out from under him.  Both of his parents have been deployed to Iraq unexpectedly and all of his plans with his best friend Patrick have been thrown out the window.  In four days, Erik is in North Dakota, a world away from New York.

After he arrives, Erik begins to see why his mother had avoided trips home. Big Darrell, his grandfather, is grouchy and distant.  Erik spends the first two days avoiding him.  

When Erik finds a young hunting dog with porcupine quills stuck in her nose, he thinks he might have found a friend that can make North Dakota bearable.  Big Darrell has other ideas and that's when Erik decides to take off on his own and try his hand at the "wild life".

Great book for students who enjoy hunting or realistic fiction.