About the Book:

Carlo never wanted to take over the family ice cream business, at fourteen he already had school and the terror of talking to girls to occupy his ever anxious mind, but when the odious Haverton Hill tried to buy the factory from him after his father’s death, an unexpected sense of defiance arose.

With the “help” of his friends, Carlo sets out to cope with incompetent staff, sabotage, strange goings on in the basement, a book with a mind of its own and the knowledge that those little specks in the vanilla ice cream may not be as innocent as they seem… Oh, and he’s just been asked to a party by a girl! Summer holidays were not supposed to be this interesting.

Will the secrets Carlo uncovers within the factory lead to success or failure?

My Thoughts:

To be frank I was not entirely sure what to expect from this book and I did start reading it with the preconceived notion that it may be boring. However it turns out I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would happily recommend it to everyone!

This is a nice and funny story about a young boy of fourteen who is suddenly facing the task of running his father’s ice cream factory. The story highlights all the emotions that run through a fourteen year old’s mind in such a situation when he has just lost his father and has been left the family business as part of his father’s will. He is to be taken care of by his father’s friend and partner Mr Randolph who assumed that the company would be left to him. Accompanied by his four friends, Carlo sets out to bring the company back to the top and show their competition Mr Hill that Leodoni’s is indeed the best ice cream.

There is a slight twist in the story and this adds more mystery and makes it more interesting to read. The reader is sure to enjoy following Carlo and his friends as they behave like any other fourteen year old, running around and assuming they can do anything while at the same time steeping up to support their friend and showing us what true friendship is. All the elements put together make this story delightful to read with all it’s ups and downs, fun moments and dark moments. For all those readers who have enjoyed Enid Blyton’s stories in their childhood, this story is not far behind. It is as good as they come and worth the read!