The Candy Shop War (Hardcover)

by Brandon Mull (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What if there were a place where you could get magical candy? Moon rocks that made you feel weightless. Jawbreakers that made you unbreakable. Or candy that gave animals temporary human intelligence and communication skills. (Imagine what your pet would say!) Four young friends, Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon, are befriended by Belinda White, the owner of a new candy shop on Main Street. However, the gray-haired, grandmotherly Mrs. White is not an ordinary candy maker. Her confections have magical side effects. Purposefully, she invites the kids on a special mission to retrieve a hidden talisman under Mt. Diablo Elementary School. However, Mrs. White is not the only magician in town in search of the ancient artifact rumored to be a fountain of youth. She is aware that Mr. Stott, the not-so-ordinary ice cream truck driver, has a few tricks of his own.

About the Author
Brandon Mull still lives on the side of a mountain above a prison with his wife and two children. He travels the country visiting schools, promoting literacy, and sharing his message that "Imagination Can Take You Places." After the success of Fablehaven, Brandon is thrilled to be writing novels full-time

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 358 pages
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain; 1 edition (September 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159038783X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590387832
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars something fantastic and full of action, September 10, 2007

By	Heather Froeschl (Callaway, Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Never take candy from a stranger! Brandon Mull, New York Times bestselling author of "Fablehaven," likes to use the messages we all hear as kids, like, "Drink your milk," and this traditional warning to stay away from strangers bearing sweets. The similarities to anything you've heard before stop there. "The Candy Shop War" is something completely new and different, and I might add, something fantastic and full of action.

Brandon Mull has created a whole new world where special candy can make kids float, shoot electric shocks from their fingers, and even enter the land of wonder through the looking glass...but it isn't anything wonderful in there! Nate is new to the neighborhood, having just moved in, and the friends he makes in the first days will become the truest sort he can hope for. They will come to rely on each other in ways they never could have imagined. The kids start doing after school chores for the owner of a new candy shop in return for special treats. Here's where that warning comes in to never take candy from people you don't know. The chores turn into assignments, which turn out to be quite dangerous and progressively wrong. The temptation might seem sweet but Nate and his friend Trevor decide to hang in there for other reasons. There is a mystery to be solved, and it turns out that there is a rival candy seller who has an interest in what is discovered. A great legend comes into play, and while talking dogs and horses are very cool, what is going on is becoming terribly bad. It's up to Nate and his friends to put a stop to it, if they aren't eaten by giant black widow spiders, or turned to bones and dust first.

This middle grade reader is fantastically full of adventure and fun of a completely different sort. While there is magic and wonder involved, it isn't like anything published in recent history. The underlying messages are well thought out, while the characters steal the show. Kids aged 8-12 will see themselves as Nate figures out what to do to save the day, and even as he bounces from rooftop to rooftop. Who wouldn't love to give their teacher fudge in order to make her forget about assigning homework? The writing is, as always, a pleasure to partake of. Brandon Mull is a gifted author who knows how to reach out to his readers even when giving them those important reminders to drink milk and not take candy from strangers. I will anxiously await even more published work from this author, and Shadow Mountain.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Imagery, September 12, 2007

By	B.S.L. "College Mom" (Phoenix,AZ) - See all my reviews

Bradon Mull is a refreshing addition to literature, his book is new and exciting. I bought this for my daughter after reading both "Fablehaven" books (which are wonderful) and she loved it. Just good clean fun for the whole family my husband and myself have read them as well as my 15 year old. Everyone is waiting for the next one. He creates likeable characters with interesting personalities and great bad guys. The twists in turns in the plot are well developed. His adventures are every childs fantasy9 that of my were extra creative too). Give them a try you won't be disappointed.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit!, September 20, 2007

By	ST "Kids Librarian" (Bountiful, Utah) - See all my reviews

My students (I really am a school librarian)love Brandon Mull's books as much as I do and I'm thrilled to know that a Utah author is making it big. If you haven't discovered him, I promise you won't be disappointed! The action is lively right from the beginning, the characters are well-written and engaging and Mull doesn't talk down to his readers. You can't go wrong.
One note: How did all the editors of this new book miss a glaring error? It says (page 38) that Jefferson and Madison died on the same day, July 4th. Jefferson and ADAMS died on the same day, July 4th, 1826, and Monroe, not Madison, died five years later on July 4th.