The Candy Shop War

Reviewed by Dayna Davis, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. Published by Shadow Mountain.

Retail Price: $17.95 Available here

Nate, Trevor, Pigeon and Summer are four friends that stop in the candy shop on their way home from school, owned by Mrs. White. Soon, this group of friends is doing odd jobs for Mrs. White in return for her magical candy. But, all is not quite what it seems, and the four of them are pulled deeper into a world of magic, mystery and suspense.

I am a huge, HUGE fan of the Fablehaven books and author Brandon Mull. I think his books are completely different and original in comparison to many things that I have read lately. This is another book about magic and kids - but from a different angle than I have ever read before. I think this is a great book for older kids, teens and family reading. It is compelling and I think that kids will identify with the love of candy and the need for adventure. It makes you think about several different things that we all think that we want, for example, what if parents had no idea what we were doing with our friends or in the house? What if they didn't care? Is that really what we want? It truly makes you think about courage, standing up for what's right and going with your instincts.