Customer Reviews

Maggie and the Chocolate War (Kids' Power Book)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fictionalized version of a true protest led by children: a Canadian children's boycott of chocolate bars in 1947, when the price went up in from 5 cents to 8 cents.

Maggie, a 9-year-old girl living in Victoria, British Columbia, wants to buy a chocolate bar for her friend's birthday. When the price of chocolate goes up, she worries that she won't have enough money saved in time for Josephine's birthday.

Then she and her friends find out about strikes being held by kids in other parts of the country. They make signs and begin protesting outside of stores. Although Maggie feels bad that her actions are decreasing customers to her father's store, she is encouraged by her mother, who has joined with other women to protest the price of food.

Finally, the kids' actions convince several local shopkeepers to lower the price to 5 cents again.

The book is illustrated with photos of the real protests, and pictures of actual newspaper clippings covering the marches and protests. I found it fascinating to look at the photos and read about the real history behind this novel. Readers will also be immersed in the details of daily life from 1947.

This novel is part of the Kids' Power series. I have included this book in my online Gender Equality Bookstore.

1947 - World War II is done, and Canada's rationing practices put in place for the war should be long over. Not so, as "Maggie and the Chocolate War" states - although technically fiction, it's inspired strongly by real events where kids began to protest a sudden increase in chocolate prices. Driven by desire to buy her best friend Jo a chocolate bar for her birthday and the sudden increase in price to eight cents versus the normal five prevents that. Maggie has a call to action with the other children which has more of an impact than one think. "Maggie and the Chocolate War" is an easy read and a great bridge between picture books and novels for early readers- highly recommended for community library kids historical fiction collections.