The Candy Thief

By Matt Maddox

Halloween is a night of magic and mystery, costumes and candy -- and crime.

Mojo nudged me and pointed into the darkness behind us from which an eerie-looking group was emerging.

"They're coming," he said.

As they made their way up the dark driveway towards us, their faces lit only by the dim porch light above us, the five figures became clearer. They were all girls, probably fourth or fifth graders, judging by their size. Each girl was wearing a princess dress, which wasn't particularly unusual, of course, for Halloween. But they all had stark white faces, blacked-out eyes, and bloody scars on their faces. Zombie princesses. An army of zombie princesses. The neighborhood was infested with them.

Up and down the street, everywhere I looked I saw zombie princesses emerging from the darkness. And they were all headed our way.

A dark shadow hangs over Halloween night: a criminal network is stealing all the best candy. For middle grader Jack to unravel the secret conspiracy, he's going to need some help from his friends: Mojo, the undersized uber-athlete; Francis Porter, the loyal comedian; Sarah, the ponytailed leader; and Hermy, the bookish giant.

THE CANDY THIEF, a quirky Halloween-themed middle grade mystery with an authentic voice, strong characters, and a fast-paced narrative, is aimed at middle grade readers interested in mystery, sports, and friendship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1093164085
• ISBN13: 9781093164084
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"