The Candy Shop War

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapter 16-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Magical Youth

The Candy Shop War sets up a polarity between youth and age that carries throughout the novel. While the story is principally told from the perspective of four 10-year-olds, they interact most frequently with two elderly magicians: Belinda White and Sebastian Stott. The novel’s lore relative to the rules of magic underscores this distinction between young and old. All the magicians are ancient because they have used magic to extend their lifespans, but none of them possesses the ability to reverse the aging process. Further, they seem immune to their own enchantments. In contrast, the children in the novel are receptive to all manner of magical candies. They exhibit superpowers when they ingest the confections. The treats are used both as a lure to attract the attention of the young and also as a way to intensify their abilities.

While never explicitly stated, the novel implies that the young are inherently more magical than the elderly. This may be due to a combination of innocence, suggestibility, and belief. Jaded by long years of life experience, adults lose these qualities. Mrs. White herself points out that the only confection that will affect adults is her white fudge. The fudge doesn’t give them superpowers but acts like a narcotic to numb their awareness of the world. As a result of the limitations of adult life, Mrs. White uses the children as tools to expand her powers. Ironically, she covets what they all have—youth. Dart explains this notion during his stint as a substitute teacher:

Do you understand that the unattainable miracle all magicians pursue is the ability to reduce their age? They can prolong their years, but they can’t make themselves a second younger. If these wise old magicians could only turn back the clock, their power would increase exponentially (269).

Interestingly enough, Mrs. White can only augment her powers and use spells on herself if she is also a child, which is why she needs the Fountain of Youth. After transforming herself into a 10-year-old, she is no longer immune to her own magic. However, she can’t harness this enormous power in her adult form. The best she can hope to do is use youthful surrogates to accomplish her aims. In an unexpected episode of trading places, both Nate and Pigeon experience old age at about the same time Mrs. White rejuvenates herself. Neither boy particularly enjoys the experience. At the novel's end, the old magician Mozag cautions Nate, “Don’t forget the temporary preview of your winter years. What a rare opportunity. It will take quite a while to earn your way back” (361). In other words, magical youths shouldn’t be in too great a hurry to grow up.

Greed and Power

The entire plot of The Candy Shop War hinges on the quest for power by a single character. All of Mrs. White’s actions in the book are geared toward acquiring more power over the world. Stott tells the Blue Falcons:

Mrs. White is more treacherous than you can guess. We are both magicians, but she has one of the most notorious and bloody histories of any member of our order. She craves power, and has never hesitated to lie, cheat, steal, or kill to get it (175).

She can easily be identified as the villain in the novel by her greed for power. However, this theme is also illustrated to a much lesser degree in the behavior of other characters. Stott might also have a hidden agenda related to acquiring more power: “‘Are you dangerous too?’ Pigeon asked. Mr. Stott shifted in his chair. ‘I can be, I suppose. No magician is really safe, to himself or to others’” (175). In making this statement, Stott seems to be admitting that power corrupts those who wield it. Since magicians possess more power than ordinary mortals, this adage must apply more strongly to them. That assessment proves accurate later in the book when Dart points out that Stott hasn’t been entirely forthcoming with the children. Though he denies wanting to drink from the Fountain of Youth, Stott knows this is the prize Mrs. White has been seeking.

It isn’t only magicians who demonstrate the connection between greed and power. The Blue Falcons also illustrate this principle. Initially, their greed only extends to an excessive liking for the sweets Mrs. White gives them. However, they soon become addicted to the taste of her treats and the superpowers that are temporarily conferred on them. None of the children is interested in taking over the world, but they are definitely willing to continue working for Mrs. White to collect more magical candy. This addiction leads them to some questionable activity on her behalf, including breaking into a museum and robbing a grave.

The school bullies also exhibit a greed for power. They like to exhibit dominance over the fifth graders by stealing their lunches. This includes a parallel addiction to sweets when they repeatedly steal Pigeon’s dessert. They will later steal some magical confections from him, partly because they are greedy for the taste and partly because they are greedy to exhibit their power over the younger children. Eventually, they start working for Mrs. White for these same reasons. Fortunately, by the time the book ends, all the main characters are cured of their greed for sweets and their greed for power.

Establishing Trust

The Blue Falcons are repeatedly confronted with the same question. Who is trustworthy? In their initial encounters with Mrs. White, she attempts to cultivate goodwill by giving away free candy and repeatedly states that she trusts the children because she is willing to share her most powerful magical candies with them. However, the tasks she asks them to perform are highly questionable. Most must be undertaken after dark so nobody will notice, which arouses the suspicion of all four children. In their private meetings at the Nest, they constantly question whether Mrs. White can be trusted. When she crosses a line by suggesting that they erase Stott’s memory, Summer balks: “‘If there is no trust in this relationship, perhaps you should turn in your candy,’ Mrs. White said. ‘My dad says people who insist that you trust them usually don’t deserve it,’ Summer said” (161).

Summer’s fears are echoed by the future Nate when he appears to caution the team: “‘Stay away from Sweet Tooth,’ the stranger warned, stumbling slightly. ‘You can’t trust Mrs. White. She’s dangerous. You can’t trust anyone!’” (67). Nate’s final words are more than a warning against Mrs. White. He implies that nobody in town is trustworthy. This same sentiment is echoed by John Dart when he casts suspicion on Stott: “It might interest you to know that the prize Belinda White and Sebastian Stott are seeking is a draught from the Fountain of Youth. Funny how neither of them mentioned it. Chew on that for a minute and see if Sebastian still strikes you as such a nice guy” (270). For the most part, Dart focuses on magicians as untrustworthy rather than casting blame on everyone.

The children’s confusion regarding who to trust is increased because all the other adults in town are under the influence of white fudge. When Nate goes to his father for advice, he receives no support: “He stood watching his dad. Through word or action, there appeared to be no way to pierce the fudge-induced fog. [...] It was official. He was on his own” (241). While Dart and Stott have exhibited questionable behavior, they seem to be trustworthy allies. Ultimately, the children are left to rely on their own instincts for a judgment call. Nate reaches this conclusion after his conversation with Dart when he tells Summer and Pigeon, “I think this guy is for real [...]. I know it’s hard, but I don’t see that we have any options except to trust him” (274). In a town where everyone insists that they can be trusted, Nate makes the call to trust his gut and is proven right.