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The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
First of all,...
First of all, SPOILER ALERT!!!! You just CANNOT have a decent discussion about this book without giving away anything. Pretty much everything is shrouded until you've read it all. You don't even know about - stopping right there. So, yeah. Spoiler alert. But you should really read this book if it sounds interesting.
Okay, so, has anyone else read The Candymakers by Wendy Mass? I ordered it online, and it arrived last Friday (that would be May 22). I read it, and then read it again, and I have now read it 11.7 times. So, yeah.
My favorite thing about this book was the characters. It's told in four different viewpoints, and all the characters are very different. My favorite was DEFINITELY Philip Ransford the Third. (SPOILER ALERT!!! This is the LAST WARNING!!!!) In fact, he is my favorite character EVER in any book I remember reading! I know, he's not very nice, and I don't really know what I like so much about him.But I really like his violin playing/composing because I play viola and sometimes write music a little (though, judging from the book, I'm nowhere near as good as him.) The way he hates and hides the skill was interesting and resonated with me a little. Also, I liked the way his and Logan's backstory entertwined, and how he seems so arrogant on the outside but seems somewhat insecure on the inside, or at least in the factory. If I don't stop now I'm probably going to keep rambling, but the last thing is that his lock-picking, in my opinion, is much more fun than Daisy's special wax. Seems like it should be the opposite, though. I also liked Miles a lot, although that was more of a relatability thing.
One of my favorite lines (I'm doing it from memory, so it might not be very exact. Philip is speaking.) "That's not exactly what I said," he began, then stopped. He couldn't apologize for anything. If he did, he might actually find himself being nice, and that wouldn't do at all.
I thought that the four different viewpoints was done well. I read it partially for research on doing different viewpoints for a book I'm planning, and thought it was done very well. You can read about the same two days four times, but because of their different perspectives and other things that they did alone, but it's still interesting. (Even when you're reading it for the twelth time!)
Okay, I should probably stop before this gets too long. I don't know if any of you have read The Candymakers or are going to post, but oh well. Also, if you read this book and didn't like it, you can post why you didn't like it. Sorry this is so long!
submitted by Blackfooted Bobcat
(May 30, 2020 - 9:18 am)
(May 30, 2020 - 9:18 am)
The Candymakers was so good! I agree that Philip's chapters were the best. He's kind of the average bully that's in basically every book, but he's different in that he's not trying to be mean, he's just trying to not be nice, which is different. Apparently there's a sequel., but I haven't read it yet.
(May 31, 2020 - 4:17 pm)
I'm glad someone else likes Philip too! I haven't read the sequel either, so just for anyone else who may happen to come in (I don't know if there willl be any but just in case) please no spoilers for that. Not sure if my age and location will work out, I'm just expirementing. Sometimes he can be nice, but in a grudging way. And sometimes he's insulting/rude at the same time. Which reminds me, I gave him a title: Philip Ransford the Third, Grudging Violinist and Master of the Eye Rolls. I might come up with something better.
(May 31, 2020 - 5:44 pm)
(May 31, 2020 - 5:37 pm)
I've read both books, don't worry I won't spoil anything, but I really liked both. For some reason I've always really liked books about candy factories, such as these books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I just find the ideas in the books so cool and amazing, a lot of the ideas are probably not possible but it's fun to think about and to live in that fantasy for a time.
(June 1, 2020 - 2:03 pm)
Barnswallow, I kind of agree. That's one of the things that I like about books. As Miles put it (I think, at least), you get to live there for a while instead of here.
Zahava S., I really like the way you said that he's different because he's trying not to be nice.
Lastly, I thought of a few questions to maybe get some more discussion. All are completely optionary, but if you want to answer any, you can!
1. As this was an extremely character-based book, who was your favorite character and why? Philip Ransford the Third, then Miles, then probably Logan, or maybe Daisy? I haven't completely decided. Anyway, I liked Miles because books and codes, and Philip.... Um.... Probably mainly because of his violin. And notebook. And how he's kind of nice but also not. And - this is getting too long.
2. What was your favorite part of the book? Um, probably when Philip played the violin in front of everyone. Definately his chapters. And I don't know if this is really my favorite part, but when AJ chose to call himself Bo Dinkleman for the judging thing, it makes me laugh a lot every time. And I'm reading it for the fourteenth time in less than two weeks, so that's a pretty high compliment. This too is getting too long.
3. What made you decide to read the book in the first place? It had been on my reading list, and I bought it online. I mean, it's a mystery and it sounded good, so that's about it. I didn't predict it would become a new obsession, though.
4. Any favorite lines or quotes? Paraphrasing is fine. Let's see, I meantioned one earlier, but some others I liked were Instead, he found detailed instructions on Andrew's methods for cheating and lying his way through every contest he'd ever participated in. The classic bait and switch. Subtle distractions at precisely timed moments. Breaking and entering, lock picking, bribery. Sabotage. I really like just the way this one was written - the timing, mostly, and how the word sabotage kind of hangs in the air. This is getting too long, so this is the only other one.
5. Anything else you'd like to say/discuss? Probably, but this is too long already. Anyway, I just wanted to see what would happen!
(June 2, 2020 - 1:15 pm)
Ohhhh!!! I love this book too, it's amazing! I've read the sequal but it's not nearly as good as the original. (Some parts of the sequal stressed the suspention of disbelief WAY too far). (And also didn't spend as much time with the four perceptives)
1. Who was your Favorite Character
Phillip, of course! Their's something about villains that is so much fun to read about... Then Daisy, Miles, and finally Logan.
2. What was your Favorite part of the Book
I liked it when Phillip played the violan in front of everyone too... and I also liked it when Logan figured out what was in the I Scream candy
3. Why did I want to read it?
It came up as one of the options in a book club to read, it wasn't chosen but I remember it and ordered it later. Because I was out of books to read and needed something new.
4. Any favorite Lines or quotes?
Not any that I remember right now...
5. Anything else to add?
It was very well written and one of the best books I've read..
(June 5, 2020 - 11:38 am)
Really??? You like Philip too!? That's great! (I thought I was going to be alone.) What's strange is that I legitimately like Philip as a person, even though he's kind of mean and I have had some awful experiences with bullies when I went to normal school. By the way, your name is really pretty.
(June 5, 2020 - 2:52 pm)
YES! Other people like The Candymakers! Personally, my favorite character is Aurora.
I love how when Logan, Miles, Daisy, and Phillip on the road trip in the sequal, they meet other characters Wendy Mass has written about. She included characters from Every Soul a Star, Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life, and A Mango-Shaped Space!It is the absolute BEST when authors connect their stories like that!
ALSO! Who else agrees that there should be a third book? It ended on such a mysterious note, and questions were left unanswered...I feel like the series could be good as a trilogy.
(June 10, 2020 - 3:32 pm)
Aurora? Who's Aurora? Is it someone in the next book?
I haven't read the next Candymakers book, but I agree it should be a trilogy. Also, your name is beautiful!
(June 10, 2020 - 7:52 pm)
Yes, Aurora is Phillip's cat in the second book! She chose him.
And thank you! I like your name, too :)
(June 12, 2020 - 1:09 pm)
Philip gets a cat? Philip gets a CAT! That's great! And also one of the least Philip-like things I can think of... He hates nature. (Which is my least favorite things about him...) But a cat definately fits him better than a dog. It kind of surprises me that a cat would choose him in the first place... Anyway, now I'm definately going to get the second book as quick as possible!
(June 12, 2020 - 2:13 pm)
The Candymakers is a great book! I do agree that Philip was pretty cool, and the only reason he was mean was that he was insecure. But, personally I liked Daisy most. I loved how she was a spy, and how she was trying to steal the secret ingredient all along, even though you can't tell by the first few parts of the book until hers. My favorite part of the book was when they were testing out the candies. First of all, someone submitted bacon covered lollipops! Second of all, I LOVED how Philip played his violin in the middle of it!
(June 20, 2020 - 2:18 pm)
I actually didn't like Daisy that much, to be honest. She's a really good character, written really well and all, but I... just didn't really like her. It kind of felt like she didn't have any insecurities or anything, although she did a little. She felt almost more perfect than Logan, who doesn't have many flaws but has appropriate doubts and such. It's fine that you did like her though, that's just my opinion. I think that I think similarly to Philip. And some of the time, he wasn't trying to be mean or rude, the others just interpereted it that way because a lot of the time he was. (The hiccuping/coughing fit being the main example. Thinking of which, I still don't get why Daisy thought he was doing it on purpose - I mean, you can't really call up hiccups and coughing at will, can you? And if you did, your face probably wouldn't turn bright red from lack of air.) Also, it's interesting how Andrew and his father influenced his beliefs, unfortunately not in a good way for anyone, really. It seems like a lot of book characters have unloving parents or lost one, and sometimes it's not done well, but both really worked in Philip's case. This is VERY inconsequential to the book, but I keep wondering how Philip got maitnence work done on his violin, because I find it hard to believe that he would be willing to have anyone see him with a violin like that. Strings he can change on his own, but what about if the bridge was tilted or something?
(June 20, 2020 - 7:16 pm)