Entertaining for grade schoolers and their parents

What made the experience of listening to The Candy Shop War the most enjoyable?

The action was quick, engaging, and clear, and the narrator did a very good job. Easy to follow the story and to connect to the characters right away which is good for a younger audience.

Any additional comments?

This was a fun listen for everyone in the family minivan - myself and my 11, 8, and 6 year old kids. Good for both girls or boys, with enough magic (and candy!) to fuel the imagination without getting nonsensical as some stories with magic tend to do. Not a five star classic along the lines of Harry Potter, but a thoroughly enjoyable book and narration.

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16 people found this helpful

Okay, but my least favorite Brandon Mull book

I am a big Brandon Mull fan; I loved his Fablehaven series, am enjoying his five Kingdoms series, but wasn’t a huge fan of his Beyonders series. I was eager to finally read The Candy Shop Wars which I have had on my shelf for awhile. The book ended up being a bit disappointing; I had some trouble engaging in the story and the characters.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was decent. The narrator was fine and easy to listen to.

Nate has just moved to a new town with his parents and is well on his way to making friends with some of the neighbor kids: Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon. Then a new candy shop opens up in town called Sweet Tooth. The owner of the new candy shop, Belinda White, is a sweet matronly woman who asks the foursome to run a couple errands for her. If they complete the errands she says that she will give them some very special magical candy. However as the errands get more and more sinister, and the magical candy less and less benign, this foursome begins to wonder if they are working with the right side.

This book starts out with a really well done prologue about a man named Jack who can’t hurt people lest that hurt be revisited on him. The prologue doesn’t really match with the rest of the story all that well, but it did hook me right away.

The rest of the story was less exciting. Magical candy seems like a really really cool idea...and it kind of is. I was a bit disappointed in the variety and function of the magical candy and also a little disappointed in how quickly a wondrous item turned into a weapon.

None of the characters really stand out all that much. Our four heroes are pretty stereotypical. Nate is the fearless leader and is rash and mouthy. Summer is the logical one that makes everyone stop and think and plan. Trevor is your basic sidekick variety and Pigeon is the super geeky brainy one. None of them really intrigued me or grabbed me. I guess I did enjoy the other magician in the book, Mr. Stott he is a kindly ice cream truck driver. I also really enjoyed the character of Jack who was introduced in the prologue and wished he had been in the story more.

The plot itself is okay but pretty predictable. I could have told you Ms. White was up to no good right away, but it takes these kids half the book to figure it out. Things get a little mind bending when time travel starts being involved. The magic and how magicians come to be was never explained very well, nor was any explanation given for how they fit into the bigger picture. So, world building was a bit weak as well.

Overall an okay book but felt a bit bland to me considering what it could have been. I love the idea of magical candy and magicians, but had trouble engaging with the characters and the plot was just too predictable. I kind of felt like the story in general was a bit boring. This was an okay read but I would definitely recommend Mull’s other series more than this one. His Fablehaven series is my absolutely favorite.

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12 people found this helpful

Another great adventure from this author

Would you consider the audio edition of The Candy Shop War to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version but this fun and adventurous story certainly lent itself to audio. Enjoyable for children and tweens - and their adults. Would be a great choice for a car trip - very lively.

What about Emily Janice Card’s performance did you like?

One of the good narrators. I'm not as fond of female narrators but my son thought this book was up there as one of the better narrations. Certainly in no way irritating as some children's book narrators can be.

Any additional comments?

Although an entirely different book if you liked Fablehaven you should like this book too.

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11 people found this helpful

Great listen along for both of us!

Listened with my 2nd grader son at bedtime and in the car for almost a month. We really enjoyed the many voices of the narrator. My son really liked all the magic 🍬 candy....he really wished it was real!

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6 people found this helpful

Best series I’ve ever read

Love this series.i wish there where more books but it’s still awsome I especially like this narrator

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4 people found this helpful

The most delicious book I have ever read

This book is awesome! Love the plot. Definitely hope there will be more. Perfect for kids 6-9.

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4 people found this helpful

Lots of fun

My 9yo daughter listened to this book in two days. She enjoyed the narrator and loved the characters. Overall she really enjoyed the storyline.

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3 people found this helpful

The Candy Shop War

Such an awesome audible! Definitely a must read! 5 star book! I will read it over and over!

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3 people found this helpful

One of my favorite audible books by Brandon Mull

It is very well told in voice and story. I am also able to read it with family.

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3 people found this helpful

Good middle grade fiction!

Read with my 5th grade class. The kids loved it. I would recommend it to other teachers.

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3 people found this helpful