The Mystery in Chocolate Town: Hershey, Pennsylvania by Carole Marsh

The Mystery in Chocolate Town: Hershey, Pennsylvania Reviews

• 
  Angie

  When I read this book I started craving Chocolate
• 
  Athena Milbert

  I’ve lived in Hershey, Pa (or at least, in the town right next door) nearly my whole life. I know the town like the back of my hand. So when I found this as an 8 year old, I was excited to read it.
  
  Now 15, I’m only just remembering the book, and I’m trying to salvage what I thought as an 8 year old. All I can remember was that I hate, hate, hated this book because it horribly misrepresented Hershey. I cannot attest to that fact today, but I trust my young self’s opinions.
• 
  Benjamin Pruszinski

  I liked it because it reminds you of hersheys and chocolate in your mouth. It is a real mystery and the setting was awesome. And I loved the characters like grant which was pretty funny
  (Don’t make fun of me for reading this)
  
  
  
• 
  Kelly

  I wanted to like this, but the writing was dreadful.
• 
  Wayne Walker

  Christina Yother, age ten, and her brother Grant, age seven, go with their grandparents, Papa and Mimi, to Hershey, PA, so that Mimi, a children’s mystery writer (who is actually author Carole Marsh), can do some research for a new book. While there, the siblings make friends with a couple of other kids who are also visiting Hershey, ten-year-old Sean Andrews and nine-year-old Annabelle Fortune. During their activities together, they learn that 900 silver dollars have recently been stolen from a local man who was planning to donate them to the Milton Hershey School.
  
  The youngsters come across some clues which lead them to think that they might be able to solve the mystery, but they also feel sorry for the victim and change some of their money to silver dollars to give him. Then they are accused of the theft. What will happen to them? Who really stole the coins? And will they ever find out who did it? I read my first Carole Marsh Mystery back in 2008. It was The Mystery at the Kentucky Derby (#15) which I purchased when we were visiting at a state park in Kentucky. I picked up The Mystery in Chocolate Town (#18) when we were visiting the Hershey Museum in Hershey, PA, a couple of years ago and have just now gotten around to reading it. A few euphemisms (ohmygosh, darn, heck) occur, and there is a reference to dancing.
  
  However, Marsh weaves a lot of interesting historical and geographical information about Milton and Kitty Hershey, the Hershey Chocolate Company, and the town of Hershey into her story. We really enjoyed our visit to Hershey, but even if we hadn’t been there, reading the book makes it sound as if it is a fun place to go and see. Also, Marsh introduces her readers to vocabulary-building words, such as opulent and mesmerized, many of which are terms that students need to know for the SAT. There is a glossary to define the new words. The SAT words are in bold type in the text and marked SAT in the glossary. In addition to the “Real Kids, Real Places” mysteries which take place in the United States, Marsh has also begun another series, “Around the World in 80 Mysteries.”
• 
  Bre

  I think this might be a good read in my classroom.
• 
  Ellie

  I got this book when I left Hershey park and I loved Hershey so much : if u like Hershey u will like this book ❤️
• 
  Melissa Byrd

  Christina and Grant get to travel the country with their Mimi and Papa, and this time they've landed in Hershey, Pennsylvania- the sweetest place on earth! Mimi, the actual author of the Real Kids! Real Places! series (of which this book is a part of), is a mystery writer and visits each location featured in her stories for inspiration. Her grandchildren, Christina and Grant, are characterized as being quite curious and come across their own mystery upon arriving at the Hershey Hotel. The sibling duo almost instantly become mixed up in the recent scandal (the theft of Mr. Daniels' 900 silver dollar coins) when Grant witnesses hotel employees wrapping the coins in gold foil like chocolate candies. Instead of reporting what they saw, the kids make friends with two other children staying at the hotel and attempt to solve the mystery on their own. Readers will be able to relate to the characters most when the children's empathetic actions backfire! Carole Marsh's details and descriptions, as well as historical relevance, in this novel make it an enticing read, even causing the reader to feel as though he/she is in Hershey!
  
  I would suggest having this mystery book available for fourth and fifth grade students to read in book clubs or as an independent reading novel. While the plot is not very complex and is easy to follow along, there are some higher level vocabulary words highlighted and featured in the glossary. I think this is a really nice addition and the bold faced words encourage students to stop and think about their meanings. Fourth and fifth graders especially will feel connected to the characters who are about the same age as themselves. As they read, students will come across historically and geographically accurate information. I would have them create their own Google Lit Trip as a way to further connect with the setting and characters.
  
  I chose this book as a WOW book because I really enjoyed the way that Carole Marsh was able to create a work of fiction using a real setting and incorporate relevant facts. Reading this book wouldn't seem like work for students because the plot is fun and they will be able to see pieces of themselves in Christina and Grant. As a child I always enjoyed traveling with my parents, but as a teacher I realize this isn't a luxury available to all children. Having been to Hershey, PA I can say that this book takes the reader on a road trip without having to leave home! Any book that my students can relate to AND can create a new experience for them is a winner to me. Oh, and did I mention that there are over 50 books in the Real Kids! Real Places! series?!