Customer Reviews

Candy Shop War

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

World domination has a sweet tooth in Brandon Mull's latest fantasy adventure, about four kids who discover that too much candy can be REALLY bad for your health.

After a rather exciting prologue, the book slows to a moderate pace, with the new kid in town having to prove himself in order to join three other kids in their club. He does this by performing an impetuous* act which establishes him not only as a club member, but as a firm enemy of the inevitable gang of neighborhood bullies.

The next phase of the story revolves around the owner of a new sweet shop, who makes original confectionary in various forms, ranging from magical to addictive. Mrs. White, owner of the aforementioned shop, soon has the kids doing odd jobs in exchange for treats, but as the jobs get odder and odder, they begin to think there may be more tricks than treats in her bag.

Before long, the kids are breaking and entering, operating voodoo dolls, shape shifting, defying gravity and robbing graves, until an encounter with another magical sweet maker and a meeting with a stranger shifts their respective perspectives** somewhat. By the time you wrap your brain around all of that, Mull throws in a few space-time continuum mind teasers, takes you through the looking glass and then channels Ponce de Leon and the Holy Grail a la Indiana Jones.***

The sour drop I mentioned in the title of this review hit me early in the book, where the author on several occasions gratuitously* describes minor characters by their skin color, and then when the children magically change their appearances, he takes pains to mention not only that they change race, but also unnecessarily gives them a few stereotypical* traits in case you missed the previous race reference. The book would have felt no pain from the surgical removal of these references.

As imaginative and innovative as Fablehaven and its sequel Rise of the Evening Star, Candy Shop sometimes gets carried away with its cleverness, at times overdosing the reader with too much of a good thing. Notwithstanding* the aforementioned problems, however, the unique story line and interesting characters and character development makes for good reading if you don't mind the occasional inedible bit.


* big word
** two big rhyming words
*** I watch a lot of movies, don't I?




Amanda Richards, October 30, 2007

The Candy Shop War is definitely a departure from Brandon Mull's highly successful Fablehaven series. A stand-alone book, though as full of magic as the Fablehaven series is, that is where the similarity ends. The magic here is darker, and more violent, and could be frightening to younger children. The main characters are believable as children, but the narrative is often stilted to the point of feeling almost contrived. The vocabulary level is extremely rich, but the author seems to go out of his way to use the most difficult word choice possible, which at times distracts, and is sometimes annoying. After enjoying the Fablehaven books, I was disappointed in this book. I had to make myself keep reading to the end.

This is the 3rd book of Brandon Mull's that we have purchased. (We also own Fablehaven and Fablehaven:Rise of the Evening Star). I highly recommend any of these books. My 9 yr old son and I take turns reading the chapters, and it is always hard to put the book down after just one or two chapters. It captivates children and adults alike! These would be great to read to groups of children, but may be a bit on the scary side for younger children.
I also love the vocabulary in the book lots of words are used that children this age (6-11) are not normally exposed to. For a homeschooling parent this is definitely wonderful. Fun and educational! And full of great imaginative opportunities!

I had numerous issues with this book. Most of them I could console myself I could talk over with my child before she read it, but one thing I cannot abide and that is the violent actions in the prologue and later in the book, after chapter ten, when a middle school student is kidnapped, dumped in a trunk, then driven to a motel where they are locked in the bathroom in a straight jacket with duct tape over their mouth. And this by a supposedly "good" character whom the "good" children are siding with. The prologue reminded me of nothing so much as the bounty hunter in "No Country for Old Men," as a shadowy enforcer-type sneaks up on someone who has supposedly done some undefined bad thing and attacks him with tear gas and neurotoxins. The children themselves administer electric shocks to others including other children. The children use the magical candy not to enjoy themselves or the candy, but to commit crimes and attack or defend from adversaries.

I can discuss with my child the other negative issues raised by this book- racial profiling, the pushing of mind-numbing candy/drugs on family members, committing of crimes in return for rewards- and she may come out the better for it...possibly. But any positive effects of the book (albeit achieved by highlighting the negative aspects) are outweighed by the violent themes and images. It is simply not worth it. This is not the fun magical journey it appears to be.

After reading the entire Fablehaven series outloud to my kids we were all excited to start The Candy Shop War. Unfortunately we only made it through the first 7 chapters before we decided it was not for us. I cannot complain about the writing, it's great. What I simply could not overlook was the fact that all the main characters were morally corrupt. In the Fablehaven series the kids (although some poor choices were made) were basically good kids, trying to do the right thing, as were many of the main characters. There was a clear distinction between good and evil. Where is the good in The Candy Shop War? The old lady running the candy shop is manipulative and using the kids. The kids are willing to lie and mislead their own parents, break in and enter a museum to steal artifacts, and even amongst the supposed best friends quartet, one kid was made fun of by the others. It was impossibly to feel a connection for these kids, or cheer them on for that matter. There are plenty of books available with kids who have admirable qualities. The two stars are given for the technical quality of the writing which is really good. Too bad this story was so flat and uninspiring.

This book was really exciting. The characters were interesting and I liked the kids in the book. The plot was creative with lots of twists and turns. It had about eight different climaxes. I would highly recommend this book.

Brandon Mull continues his tradtion of page-turning excitement found in his Fablehaven series with The Candy Shop War. Although the first half of the book wasn't quite as entertaining as his other books, Brandon manages to really hit this one out of the park with a compelling ending.

Brandon is clearly establishing himself as a must-read author. Enjoy!