Although Nate is new in town, it’s not long before he’s found a group of new friends. And it’s not much longer before the four of them are embroiled in a dangerous scheme. After stopping in to a brand-new candy shop and sampling its delicious wares, the children are recruited by the proprietor, Mrs. White, to do a few favors for her. In exchange for their efforts (and partially to help them in their missions) they will receive candy that has magical powers. Who could resist such an offer? But as their involvement with Mrs. White grows deeper, the children begin to have misgivings about their new benefactor. Can they trust her? Why isn’t she running these increasingly dangerous errands herself? Is there anyway to extricate themselves from her schemes before it is too late?
This was a great adventure book for middle grades. The magical candies were cleverly planned and used and the plot was well developed. But I think my favorite part was that the children weren’t stupid. As the book progresses the children consider and weigh the risks of their situation. They are aware that they should not blindly trust adults and eventually question their circumstances. They don’t all come to the same conclusion (or the safe conclusion) but the fact that they consider all these things makes them more likable and the book more enjoyable. Nate even goes to his dad for help (it doesn’t work) but I like the idea that the characters seek help from trustworthy sources.
Two tiny complaints:
Misinformation: a kids says he knows everything about the presidents and shares that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison both died on July 4, 1826. But it was Adams that died the same day as Jefferson, not Madison. Young readers will not know this, and will learn incorrect information.
Cover gripe: The descriptions of the children make it sound like Trevor is not white (his skin is described as olive and when he takes the pills that change your race he becomes white), however the cover depicts four white children.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – There’s joking about whether a girl is someone’s girlfriend or fiancee. A boy asks a girl out, calling her a “hottie.” A boy gets teased about liking a girl. People joke about their wedding.
Profanity – “idiots,” “wuss,” “retarded,” “jerk,” “heck,” “morons,”
Death, Violence and Gore – A man has a briefcase full of weapons which includes Mace, crossbows, knives, brass knuckles, toxins, boomerangs, throwing stars, truncheons, slingshots, tranquilizer guns, explosives and tear gas. A curse makes it so any harm a man inflicts on others is automatically inflicted upon himself. There is quite a bit of hand to hand combat with resulting injuries. People are injected with a neurotoxin that makes muscle movement excruciating. Tear gas is used. Nate considers going out to play with whoever is outside as a “good way to get stabbed by a hobo.” A girl is bleeding after a bike accident. Kids throw dirt and rocks at each other. A boy is bleeding from the mouth after being hit by a rock or dirt. People are able to give each other powerful electric shocks. The kids are threatened by a man with a crossbow. Someone is given a “weapon” that creates fireballs. A task requires digging up a grave. When the coffin is opened, there is a skeleton with a collapsed skull. Guns are fired, possibly at children. A woman hurts a child, but the manner in which she hurts him is unclear. A man who was dying of a terminal illness is turned into a strange sort of person fish hybrid that is very disturbing to look at. Someone throws a table at someone else. A barn is set on fire. A wooden indian enters a kid’s bedroom carrying a tomahawk. The Indian and the kid struggle; there is a physical fight with tackling, heads through windows, etc. A teacher is locked in a closet. A person’s eye is shot out. A kid is shoved in the trunk of a car. People are put in straitjackets and their mouths are duct taped closed. A man tells a kid that he is supposed to kill him, but he won’t. Someone is tied up to a chair. Gelatin and vines trap people in place. A vehicle deliberately rams another flipping it upside down. A person is injured in the incident, bleeding from the head and might die if an attempt is made to leave. A spider bite kills a family pet. A man is killed. Another man dies and almost immediately becomes a pile of rotted human bones.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A man’s job sometimes takes him to “seedy bars”. A strange man approaches the kids and people wonder if he is drunk or on drugs. A local store sells liquor and cigarettes. The custodian smells of cigarettes.
Frightening or Intense Things – A car is stolen from a main character’s family. A person has a plan to entirely erase the identity of another person.
