I don't know the kid, but I need a book . . .

Candymakers (by Wendy Mass) was my 2011 answer to the customer question "She/he's 11, and I don't know her/him, but I want to buy a book."

Two reasons I shouldn't have liked this book:
1. The plot revolves around a mystery--I generally dislike/avoid mysteries. I know, this makes me a bit of an oddball among booksellers.
2. I usually hate books where the plot gets retold from several different perspectives; they get dull, I get bored, I put book down.

Four reasons I adored this book:
1. Generic enough for kids whose reading preferences you may not know
2. Wendy Mass. Has not disappointed me yet--she is brilliant and tells unique stories.
3. Chocolate.
4. In a world where many young adult authors set out to write a trilogy/series (which strikes me as overly ambitious--they often end up stretching a story just to fill three books), Wendy Mass writes a compact, self-contained book of exactly the right length, that leaves the reader happy.
5. Ok, I lied, four reasons aren't enough. It was the perfect handsell. Funny, poignant, sincere--all wrapped up in a story without anything to "worry about" (i.e. overly mature themes, bad language, "teen" stuff . . . ) when selling to a 10 year old.

On a side note, I apologize for my extended absence--life (including a new baby in the family) conspired to keep me away from the blog. However, I felt the need to make a 2012 resolution that didn't require buying copious amounts of lottery tickets . . . and I have missed talking books. You know, 40 hours a week at work isn't nearly enough!

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