The Candy Shop War

By Brandon Mull



Welcome to the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe, where the confections are a bit on the...unusual side. Rock candy that makes you weightless. Jawbreakers that make you unbreakable. Chocolate balls that make you a master of disguise.
Four young friends- Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon- meet the grandmotherly Mrs. White, owner of the Sweet Tooth, and soon learn about the magical side effects of her candies.
In addition, the ice cream truck driver, Mr. Stott, has arrived with a few enchanted sweets of his own. But what about the mysterious man in the dark overcoat and fedora hat? Why are all these "magicians" trying to recruit Nate and his friends? Who should they trust?
The mystery deepens and the danger unfolds as the four youngsters discover that the magical strangers have all come to town in search of a legendary, hidden treasure- one that could be used for great evil if it fell into the wrong hands. The kids, now in over their heads, must try to retrieve the treasure first. And so, the war begins...


First I will say that this book really gives a new meaning to the old warning: never take candy from strangers. It was fun to read and very inventive. It has all the marks of the imagination of Brandon Mull (author of the Fablehaven series). There were a few things that bothered me: 1- the book was written from at least seven different perspectives as the plot progressed, but it didn't make it hard to understand, I think it was just deflecting character development. 2- It lacked that spark that I liked so much reading Fablehaven. It seemed, while creative, pretty mainstream. I was able to foretell the events of what would happen with the exception of one or two details at the end. Basically, on a whole, it was a fun book, but it wasn't spectacular. If you like Brandon's other books I'd say read it if you're waiting for the next Fablehaven, but if not, I'd read something more worth your time.