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1. Bibliographic Information
Brooks, K. (2005). Candy. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0-439-68327-0
Pages: 364
2. Plot Summary:
Joe, a budding musician, goes to the doctor one morning, only to get lost at the train station. Beginning to worry, Joe stands in the bustle of London, trying to get his bearings. A girl finally asks him if he needs help. When Joe turns around to face the girl, he becomes enamored with her. This is how Candy and Joe’s relationship starts: a chance meeting in a public place. Joe is ecstatic about his new association with Candy. They go on dates to the zoo, and Joe invites her to one of his gigs. Unfortunately, at the gig, Candy is taken by a gang. When Joe’s sister Gina, and her finance Mike, attempt to help Candy, a man named Iggy hits Mike. Joe finally begins to realize the depth of Candy’s problems. Candy is a prostitute with an abusive pimp named Iggy. Iggy controls Candy by supplying her with heroin. As Joe becomes more involved with Candy, his infatuation soon turns to obsession. No longer is he interested in his music career or even his relationship with his father. He needs to protect Candy at all costs. The danger escalates when Joe follows Iggy to Candy’s home, and Candy and Joe catch Iggy by surprise, knocking him out and escaping to Joe’s country home. At the country home, things turn worse when Iggy kidnaps Gina and wants Joe to trade Gina for Candy. Joe must decide between the two people he most cares about, his sister or Candy.
3. Critical Evaluation:
Candy’s character development is interesting in Kevin Brook’s novel Candy. Different from Joe, Candy’s character is dynamic, confused and yet, logical. Candy morphs from a stereotypical teenager, to drug addict and prostitute, to a suffering person forced to come to terms with her actions. For years Candy’s identity revolved around her insecurities and dependency on drugs, that her portrayal seems formulaic. However, she is the one who moves us along through the plot; she is the one who plans and schemes to try to protect Joe, Gina, and herself. Joe is clearly defined by her character rather than vice versa. While Joe became the catalyst for her change, Joe, the narrator of the story, remains a static character, lost in his own addiction to Candy. Candy definitely has feelings for Joe, but the reader is never really sure of the extent of those feelings, or even if she herself understands that extent. Because the reader must see Candy through Joe’s eyes, Candy remains an enigma.
4. Reader’s Annotation:
Candy is the girl of Joe’s dreams: beautiful and enigmatic. But what happens when she happens to be a heroin addict and a prostitute?
5. Information about the Author:
Kevin Brooks was born in England in 1959. Martyn Pig, his first novel, won numerous awards and jump started his writing career. He enjoys writing novels that have factual elements about them, often with characters drawn to some crime or another, which usually do not include happy endings.
6. Genre:
Teen Romance
7. Curriculum Ties
Outside reading book for English
8. Booktalking Ideas:
-Is Joe in love with Candy or just obsessed?
-Is Candy in love with Joe?
-Do you feel that this book accurately shows the problems with Heroin abuse?
9. Reading Level/Interest Age
I would think that older teens aged 15-17 would enjoy this novel.
10. Challenge Issues
There could be numerous challenge issues with this book; themes like underage prostitution, drug use, and sex are all prevalent throughout this book.
For more information about challenged books see the American Library Association’s website:
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm
11. Why was it selected?
This is the same author for my Author/Genre Paper.
12. Citation Page
Challenges to library materials. (2010). In American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm
TeenReads.com. (2010). Author profile: Kevin Brooks. Retrieved from http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-brooks-kevin.asp
Brooks, K. (2005). Candy. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 0-439-68327-0
Pages: 364
2. Plot Summary:
Joe, a budding musician, goes to the doctor one morning, only to get lost at the train station. Beginning to worry, Joe stands in the bustle of London, trying to get his bearings. A girl finally asks him if he needs help. When Joe turns around to face the girl, he becomes enamored with her. This is how Candy and Joe’s relationship starts: a chance meeting in a public place. Joe is ecstatic about his new association with Candy. They go on dates to the zoo, and Joe invites her to one of his gigs. Unfortunately, at the gig, Candy is taken by a gang. When Joe’s sister Gina, and her finance Mike, attempt to help Candy, a man named Iggy hits Mike. Joe finally begins to realize the depth of Candy’s problems. Candy is a prostitute with an abusive pimp named Iggy. Iggy controls Candy by supplying her with heroin. As Joe becomes more involved with Candy, his infatuation soon turns to obsession. No longer is he interested in his music career or even his relationship with his father. He needs to protect Candy at all costs. The danger escalates when Joe follows Iggy to Candy’s home, and Candy and Joe catch Iggy by surprise, knocking him out and escaping to Joe’s country home. At the country home, things turn worse when Iggy kidnaps Gina and wants Joe to trade Gina for Candy. Joe must decide between the two people he most cares about, his sister or Candy.
3. Critical Evaluation:
Candy’s character development is interesting in Kevin Brook’s novel Candy. Different from Joe, Candy’s character is dynamic, confused and yet, logical. Candy morphs from a stereotypical teenager, to drug addict and prostitute, to a suffering person forced to come to terms with her actions. For years Candy’s identity revolved around her insecurities and dependency on drugs, that her portrayal seems formulaic. However, she is the one who moves us along through the plot; she is the one who plans and schemes to try to protect Joe, Gina, and herself. Joe is clearly defined by her character rather than vice versa. While Joe became the catalyst for her change, Joe, the narrator of the story, remains a static character, lost in his own addiction to Candy. Candy definitely has feelings for Joe, but the reader is never really sure of the extent of those feelings, or even if she herself understands that extent. Because the reader must see Candy through Joe’s eyes, Candy remains an enigma.
4. Reader’s Annotation:
Candy is the girl of Joe’s dreams: beautiful and enigmatic. But what happens when she happens to be a heroin addict and a prostitute?
5. Information about the Author:
Kevin Brooks was born in England in 1959. Martyn Pig, his first novel, won numerous awards and jump started his writing career. He enjoys writing novels that have factual elements about them, often with characters drawn to some crime or another, which usually do not include happy endings.
6. Genre:
Teen Romance
7. Curriculum Ties
Outside reading book for English
8. Booktalking Ideas:
-Is Joe in love with Candy or just obsessed?
-Is Candy in love with Joe?
-Do you feel that this book accurately shows the problems with Heroin abuse?
9. Reading Level/Interest Age
I would think that older teens aged 15-17 would enjoy this novel.
10. Challenge Issues
There could be numerous challenge issues with this book; themes like underage prostitution, drug use, and sex are all prevalent throughout this book.
For more information about challenged books see the American Library Association’s website:
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm
11. Why was it selected?
This is the same author for my Author/Genre Paper.
12. Citation Page
Challenges to library materials. (2010). In American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm
TeenReads.com. (2010). Author profile: Kevin Brooks. Retrieved from http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-brooks-kevin.asp
Picture:
Morgan, N. (2005). Out of control. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jan/29/featuresreviews.guardianreview25
13. Awards
No awards known.
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