When Midnight Treats, a new sweet shop, is due to open in the area everybody is excited, especially when the owner, Melissa Midnight, bills it as 'a sweet shop where magic and science collide.' But when Joseph unwraps his free gobstopper to find an unsigned note hidden inside from someone claiming to be trapped in the Midnight Forest, he immediately shares it with his sister and their friends. Things then take an even more sinister turn when the owners of Cousteau's sweet shop announce that their son has gone missing. Flo and Joseph, along with their friends Funmi and Isaac decide there's no time to lose and begin to investigate what is going on. But in order to do that, they must find the Midnight Forest and head there themselves, which may prove more dangerous than they could ever imagine.
I'm a huge fan of Clare's books having loved the Bastien Bonlivre duology and been swept away by the first book in The Wanderdays series Journey To Fantome Island, so I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered that I could dive into The Midnight Sweet Factory, the second book in the series, before it was published.
We catch-up with the four friends at Aderemi Adventure Park where they are enjoying a day of exciting rides, unaware of the adventure that awaits them. The first chapter also weaves in a reminder of what happened in the first book which I love as it helped to jog my memory and also acts as a great intro to those who are diving straight in at book 2 (which it's perfectly possible to do).
It's the end of the summer holidays and it is clear that the friends' parents have been more cautious since the events of book one; however, the four aren't to be deterred and they know they have to get to the bottom of what is going on. They make a great team, drawing on their individual talents and, like last time, I really like that we see Joseph and his anxiety being brilliantly explored - it's something many children will experience and Clare is very good at portraying exactly what it feels like and how children can deal with it - it really makes him one of my favourite characters.
There is action and adventure running right through this book and I stayed up way past my bedtime last night in order to discover what happened at the end! It's a gripping read. However, I have one piece of advice: have a stash of sweets at hand whilst reading as the book definitely made my mouth water! Once they reach the forest, I think Clare took inspiration from Willy Wonka and her descriptions are deliciously wonderful. I also loved the Wonderlandesque inside of the factory and will definitely be using this as inspiration for writing in school - my class will absolutely love it!
Alongside the adventure, there are messages about dealing with emotions, taking care of the natural world, friendship and dealing with events in the past which are all skilfully woven into the book, all of which will make readers think.
Publishing on the 11th September, The Midnight Sweet Factory shows us that Clare has, once again, proved that she is a writer who is able to perfectly capture children's imaginations and The Midnight Sweet Factory will tickle the tastebuds and fire-up the adrenaline.
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