Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Boy grapples with guilt, mixed feelings in gripping tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As CONFESSIONS OF A CANDY SNATCHER begins, Jonas, a 12-year-old seventh grader in North River, near the New York-New Jersey border, recalls his recent Halloween night adventure with friends Mikey, Darius, and Aaron, when they snatched candy from younger trick-or-treaters. In a piece Jonas writes for his friend Concepción's zine, he defends the behavior: "snatching is a serious fun activity if you want to go out on Halloween but don't want to mess with eggs or toilet paper, and can't see walking around like a schmo, begging for candy. Plus, nobody ever actually gets hurt." But when he starts getting menacing notes in his locker like "I KNOW IT WAS YOU" and "WATCH YOUR BACK," Jonas becomes increasingly scared that what actually happened on Halloween might be exposed. Plagued by confusion and guilt, he slowly reveals in alternate versions for the zine (and in internal monologues) that somebody did get hurt, and he feels bad about it. Meanwhile, there are cracks in his formerly solid friend group, feelings for a girl are emerging, and his separated parents are acting differently. As the pressure from all sides mounts, can Jonas find a way out of the trouble he's in?
Is It Any Good?
This clever, gripping novel captures the confusion of middle school while focusing on a 12-year-old boy's moral dilemma. Jonas is a bright, responsible, hardworking kid who takes loving care of his sweet 7-year-old sister, gets good grades, and respects his parents but gives in to peer pressure and ends up hurting someone. He's a strong, nuanced protagonist who feels trapped and conflicted but works through his feelings by writing about the pivotal incident in various ways -- first about the thrill of it, later about the reckless disregard of another's safety and bodily autonomy.
The writing in Confessions of a Candy Snatcher is remarkable. First-time novelist Penelope Sinclair has a firm command of voice, and the characters' dialogue feels authentic, though the lack of punctuation around quotes takes a little getting used to. The pacing and suspense keep the pages turning as details are doled out sparingly. There's extra space between paragraphs, which helps make it a breezy read, and the inserted zine pages, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III in emotive black-and-white comics-like spreads, give the book a graphic novel feel. There are no pat answers here. Jonas' struggle feels realistic and fresh as the novel explores mixed feelings and situations with no easy solutions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the moral question that haunts Jonas in Confessions of a Candy Snatcher. Why is it hard for Jonas to admit to himself -- and others -- that he did something wrong?
Jonas says at one point that the worst thing he ever did was also the most fun. Have you ever felt opposite ways about something you did? What happened?
How important is it to have integrity and be honest about the things you do? Why is that an important character strength?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Theodore Taylor III
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Integrity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Candlewick
- Publication date : August 15, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 317
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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