The Candy Shop War (The Candy Shop War, #1) by Brandon Mull

The Candy Shop War (The Candy Shop War, #1) Reviews

• 
  Nicole

  Powiem szczerze, nie skończyłabym jej gdyby to nie był Mull.
  Ta historia jest niedopracowana (ciągłe powtarzanie, że te cukierki to nie narkotyki, serio?), postacie są głupiutkie, aż mnie skręcało jak czytałam o ty jak łatwo dawali się manipulować.
• 
  Kellie O.

  I wanted to love this book from the very beginning. I absolutely loved the colorful, glittery cover, and the premise seemed like such fun. And I admit, I really liked the story. However, one thing will keep me from being able to recommend this title to others: the author's use of race. It made me very uncomfortable. From the start he unnecessarily describes non-white characters by their race. In an even worse example, when the main characters take a magic candy that is supposed to temporarily change their ethnicity as a way to disguise them, one girl becomes Chinese. She doesn't have a mirror, so she feels her face and guesses that she is Asian. I just felt the author was thisclose to mentioning that she felt her slanty eyes.
  
  Ugh. That major issue aside, I did like the story and the characters. It's about a group of 5th graders, 3 boys and 1 girl, who become friends with an old lady in town. She's just opened a brand new candy shop, and enlists the help of the kids. Soon enough, though, they find out that it's no ordinary candy shop; Mrs. White creates magic candy. She has the kids do "jobs" for her that involve breaking the law in the pursuit of a mysterious treasure, then pays them in more magic candy. Eventually the kids realize they're in the middle of a "war" and are stuck trying to figure out what's right and who's good and who's bad.
  
  Like I said, I loved the story, I didn't want to put it down. I'm just really sad that I can't recommend it to kids when they're looking for something good to read. I just wouldn't feel right handing them a book that unnecessarily describes someone as a "black female police officer."
• 
  give me books

  4,5 GENIALNA HISTORIA 🩷🩷🩷
• 
  Lindsey Rey

  [4.5 Stars]
• 
  Connor

  I really, really enjoyed this! I had my doubt while reading if I was going to continue to like the characters, but they are so well done! I didn't expect the small things mentioned in the beginning to come back at the end and have an impact, so that was fantastic! I'm really curious to what will happen in the second book. I feel like there is enough history and magic to continue this story for a while if he wanted, so I'm excited to see which facet he decided to explore more.
• 
  Luann

  I really wanted to like this book! I've been looking forward to reading it for quite a while. Unfortunately, there were too many parts that bugged me. It got better through the second half, but not enough to make me forget the things I didn’t like in the beginning. Some of the things I liked: the time traveling and how it was used to further the plot, the Brain Feed that allowed animals to talk, and the surprise use of candy at the end. One of the things that bothered me was the unflattering descriptions of many of the characters. I've never read a book with so many "flabby," "chubby," "pudgy," and downright "fat" characters. I thought the description of the teacher was particularly mean. To be fair, I might not have been so aware of the character descriptions if I hadn't read a review here on Goodreads complaining of the racist descriptions of characters – and while I didn’t necessarily feel they were all racist, there were plenty of descriptions that centered around race. Why? Is that really necessary? I also didn’t like that the four main characters were often asked to do dangerous and illegal things - especially in the beginning when they were working for Mrs. White. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a fantasy story and in no way meant to be thought of as realistic. In the end, I guess what it all boils down to is that I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I've been enjoying the Fablehaven series.
• 
  Melissa

  So...I am pretty impressed with Brandon Mull. I have read a lot of YA fiction recently since I try and read everything Jdog wants to read before he reads it. I think Mull is easily the best recent writer. Since Rowling I don't think anyone has WRITTEN a series as well as him. There are other fun series like Percy Jackson, Ranger's Apprentice, Artemis Fowl, etc but they are not written as well. This guy is actually a great writer!!
  
  I loved the Fablehaven series. Candy Shop War is not quite as good. This book is similar but different enough that if you weren't looking for it you probably wouldn't be able to tell. The major con with this book...made me super hungry for milkshakes and chocolate all the time!! Great for any age but probably made for slightly younger young adults :)
• 
  Tanis

  Brandon Mull writes the BEST kids' books. I get a kick out of writing directed to younger writers, but Mull's books are among my favorite. I'm reading the Fablehaven series too, and those are awesome, but I think this was my favorite of his so far. This book is so imaginative and fun. I really couldn't put it down! I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes adventure and fantasy.
• 
  Ian Epp

  This is a book in which a group of kids wish to find a way to make more exciting. Maybe go on an adventure together. Well, when a new candy shop opens the kids go in wishing for some sweet treats. But they get more than they could have ever hoped for. Candys that makes you weightless, gum that makes you a super athlete, sweets that change you'relook but only for a time. In exchange, they go on adventures for the owner. But what does the owner really want?
• 
  thebooksthief_ Ania ✨

  3,25/5
  Bardzo przyjemna książka, ma dobrze wykreowanych bohaterów. Jednak Nate jest okropny 👹, jego zachowanie jest strasznie irytujące. Podoba mi się rozwiazanie akcji i motyw słodyczy.
• 
  melodia.słów

  4,5💫
  Naprawdę świetnie się bawiłam!
  Czytając, czułam się trochę jakby była w Magicznych Dowcipach Weasleyów 🤪❤💥
• 
  Arnis

  
  https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/201...
• 
  Kasia (kasikowykurz)

  Nie zaczęłabym tej serii w tym momencie, gdybym nie zobaczyła audiobooka na Empik Go. Ale był, kusił i musiałam sięgnąć. No i się nie zawiodłam, dostałam dokładnie to, czego oczekiwałam od ulubionego autora. Podoba mi się bardzo pomysł na magiczne cukierki i magiczny sklep z cukierkami, wojny czarodziejów i ogólnie fabularnie jest mega fajnie. Fakt, że te dzieciaki są strasznie naiwne, ale kurde, czy jakbym była dziesięciolatką i ktoś by zaproponował krówkę, albo inny ulubiony wyrób i powiedział, że ma magiczne właściwości, czy byłabym w stanie się oprzeć? Pewnie nie, więc jestem w stanie totalnie to zrozumieć, zwłaszcza, że sprawiali wrażenie społeczności, gdzie każdy każdego zna. Jestem mega ciekawa, jak wypadnie kontynuacja, a zwłaszcza finałowy tom, który powstał po prawie 10 latach :O
• 
  Książkomanka

  4.5/5 ⭐
  
  Bardzo fajna, inna niż Baśniobór, ale wciąż wspaniała. Wzmianka o tym, że cukierki to nie n@rk0tyk| pojawiła się tylko 3 razy. Polubiłam bohaterów, widać że to jeszcze dzieci, więc często nie wiedzą, jak powinni postąpić. I tak szczerze, jestem od nich 2 razy starsza a sama bym pewnie nie wiedziała XD Jestem ciekawa, czy na przestrzeni kolejnych tomów będzie widać rozwój pisarski Mulla (pierwszy tom w Polsce ukazał się w 2013, drugi w 2014 a trzeci będzie dopiero w tym roku)
• 
  Jessica

  Every kid's dream: the new candy shop in town is stocked with magical candy that can disguise you, make you float, make others do your bidding . . . you name it! The downside: the owner wants you to "earn" it. With a little treasure-hunting. Grave-robbing. You know, the usual.
  
  Fun book with believable young and old characters, loads of action, and a totally inventive plot!
• 
  antek⭐️

  4,2
• 
  Stephi

  fun and interesting premise. the villains were a little too over-the-top. the race-changing stuff was a little discomfiting.
  
  3 stars
• 
  Robert

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two Fablehaven books with Emily, so we thought we'd go for another book by Brandon Mull. We read most of it driving back and forth visiting family, and it helped the hour commute go by quickly and enjoyably.
  
  I didn't gel as well with the characters; Nate and Trevor seemed pretty much the same and Summer was flat as well. Pidge had some roundness to him, but there wasn't much character development.
  
  The plot was a little slow at times; most of the book lacked an overarching motivation. The end, however, came off perfectly.
  
  I most enjoyed his exploration into the magic that the candy provided. My favorite scene is in the graveyard when Pigeon is sucking a "Sweet Tooth":
  
  "Am I Hawaiian?" Summer said.
  Pigeon nodded. "You should do the hula right now," he urged.
  Summer started waving her arms and shaking her hips. A moment later she quit the dance and swatted him on the arm. "I know what you were doing and it still sort of caught me off guard," she said. "Spit that thing out."
  "I don't want to waste it," he said. "I should probably keep it in."
  You're right," Summer said.
  "You ought to hurry back to your post," Pigeon suggested.
  "Okay," Summer said. "Good job." Crouching, she dashed up the slope.
  Pigeon grinned. (May 4, 2008)
  
  Some books aren't as good the second time through, some get better. This one got better. Somewhat remembering what is coming somehow made everything better. I felt I had a better handle on a plot that turns out to be fairly complicated. We're looking forward to reading the sequel.
  
  
• 
  Selah Latshaw

  WOW! Such a great book. While being adventurous and exciting, it was also funny and witty. This book is perfect for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who are looking for a good read. I used this book for my summer reading and I definitely don't regret it! 403 pages of great material worth reading. If you're looking for a new book, this is one I would FOR SURE recommend! Although I said it was a great book for middle schoolers, it is also a FABULOUS book for adults and teens. The characters and everyone in the book were developed so well. I can't believe how much I enjoyed summer reading this year. Great book.
• 
  Isabel

  I was reading this book to my younger brother and kept coming across weirdly racist comments. You would find that he would describe every white character (you assume they are white, never actually confirmed) as having "golden hair" or "soft skin" but any time he introduced a poc he would say "the Vietnamese cop" or "the Indian" without giving any further detail. I just found this very odd and made me uncomfortable and kind of ruined the book for me. I don't recommend this book for anyone especially impressionable young kids who might not notice the racism and subconsciously implement it in their own lives.
• 
  AndrewH

  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to able to jump like you're on the moon, or to be invincible, or to even be able to change your appearance? Nate is the new kid, and he's made three other friends: Summer, Pigeon, and Trevor. The four of them eventually find a new candy shop owned by an old lady named Ms. White, who tells them she has magic candy. In exchange for the candy, they must complete tasks for her, but over time, these tasks get riskier and make the four wonder what Ms. White really wants.
• 
  ••• Emilee •••

  I saw this in a book store today and I had a HUGE flashback. I totally forgot about this book!!! I feel all wonky now.
• 
  Ellen

  A fun family read-aloud that had everyone engaged at times (even my 4-year-old). I love that the kids felt like kids. They weren't perfect and it gave us some great family discussions. We are excited to read the next book in the series.
• 
  Nathaniel Hardman

  On the back cover of this book is a line something like, "Magical candy that gives kids superpowers - Sweet!" That line does a great injustice to this book. When I read that, I imagined a very dull, paint-by-numbers story in which some kids discover some magic candy, and just because there has to be some conflict, there's an evil wizard or something, and the kids use the magic candy to defeat him. This book is a much more interesting story than that. You have all these different parties with their own agendas, and you don't know which, if any, are really good guys. And the plot is unique enough that you are really interested to see what's going to happen. The ending is fabulous. Usually in a kids' book (or any book), if I have less than twenty pages left, I know exactly what's going to happen in the end. I did not anticipate the end of this book, and I enjoyed it very much.