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The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

Summary

Nate moves to a new town at the beginning of fifth grade. Luckily he makes friends with some kids near his house who have a club; they are called The Blue Falcons. After school one day, they stop by the new candy shop. The owner tells them she will give them some of her special candy if they do some jobs for her. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But you know what they say, Never Take Candy from Strangers! Soon Nate, Summer, Trevor and Pigeon are in over their heads and in the middle of a battle between rival magicians.

Booktalk

Don’t take candy from strangers! That’s what people always say. But what if the stranger is the owner of a candy shop? And what if she trades you candy for doing some odd jobs for her? That’s ok, right? Nate, Summer, Trevor and Pigeon meet Mrs. Wright, the owner of the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. Her candy is extraordinarily delicious, and since the kids don’t have much cash, she offers them a trade. After a few jobs, she lets them in on her secret. She is a magician and she needs their help. She is in town searching for a treasure. If they help her, she will give them even better candy, magic candy that will give them powers, like flying and talking to animals. That can’t be wrong, can it? It turns out the Mrs. Wright isn’t telling the whole truth and she isn’t the only one in town looking for the long buried treasure.

404 pages, 4th grade and up

Discussion questions

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. If you could have one candy (or superpower) which would it be?
  2. Why do you think the magical candy works best on kids?
  3. The kids realize that Mrs. White is up to no good. Do you think they were too trusting of her in the beginning? When did you suspect her?
  4. Do you think Mrs. White got what she deserved? What do you think will happen to her next?
  5. It was hard to know which adults to trusts in this story. Who did you find trustworthy?

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