Discover four best friends with big dreams—and even bigger hearts—in this fully-illustrated graphic novel prequel to The Candymakers!

It’s 1952, and in the tiny town of Brookdale, the scent of sugar and springtime fills the air, adventure is only a bike ride away, and four friends—Sam, Frank, Evy, and Henry—are chasing dreams much bigger than their small town can hold.

A regular at the junkyard, Sam Sweet can find anything—except the courage to enter the first Nationwide New Candy Contest. Frank dreams of creating maps that people will want to crawl inside of. New-in-town Evy longs to dazzle with magic tricks. And Frank’s little brother Henry? He just wants to make (and eat!) the fluffiest marshmallows the world has ever seen. Though their dreams are all different, these lifelong friends will learn that when they work together, they can turn the impossible into something wonderfully sweet.

Brimming with heart, humor, and the magic of true friendship, Wendy Mass’s delicious tale, richly illustrated by Keiko Nishijima, is sure to inspire readers to find what they’re meant to do—and the people who will help them get there.

Due to the quality of the digital ARC I received, plus the note about sharing uncorrected proofs, I am not going to include images with this review. However, if you view the book on its Amazon listing, for example, they show images from the graphic novel.

Anyway…

This really was adorable. I want to say sweet, because it is! This is a feel-good story about four friends trying to follow their dreams and doing what they can to achieve them. They are so encouraging and playful with each other that they make such a good friends group, and you want to cheer all of them on.

There are also side roles for the parents and family of the children, the local farmer and his family, the local candy shop owner, and the various residents of Brookdale. No one feels out of place or unnecessary in this story, and I love how kind and supportive everyone is. Even Evy’s stern father comes around in the end.

The entire graphic novel is uplifting and filled with positivity, even when characters are unsure of themselves or are worried about supporting the family (or family supporting them). It’s wonderful to see them succeed, and it’s even nicer to get a glimpse of their adult lives in the epilogue.

The art is playful and quite colorful, which I think suits the story well. It imbues the setting with a sense of wonder, I think–a junkyard is enticing. A family farm is a magical place. A candy shop is filled with excitement. I really think the art serves the plot and characters, and I enjoyed looking at it.

This is a pretty perfect confectionary graphic novel for middle grade readers and older, and even though I am way outside its demographic, I had a lot of fun with it. I’m giving it five stars.

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Life is Sweet was given to me as a digital arc from the publisher Little, Brown via the website NetGalley. I have enjoyed reviewing this graphic novel and on October 27 you can find it from online booksellers everywhere, in-store, and directly from the publisher.