History Literature / TheCandyShopWar

* {{Synchronization}}: [[spoiler:The family of Haag and the key to the room that holds the Fountain of Youth. Gary mentions once that in order to teach him the importance of keeping the key safe, his uncle threw it in a sink, and they both starting drowning on dry land.]]

Cynical Nate is the new kid in the tiny town of Colson, California. On his first day, he has the good luck to fall in with the Blue Falcons, a group of friends with a nondescript club (It's gone from treasure-hunting to tresspassing and more). Clever Trevor, fearless Summer, and brainy Pigeon (real name: Paul) quickly come to like snarky Nate, and accept him into the club after he charges local bullies Denny, Kyle, and Eric. Nate isn't the only new thing in town, though: There's also a new candy shop, the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. The kids stop in for some candy after a rough first day at school, and are pleased to find that the shopkeeper, Ms. White, is as kindly as she is good at making candy. But she accidentally lets slip word of "Secret Candy." What's this now? She promises she'll tell them if they ask again after getting to know her more. So they do a few chores for her shop. She gives them a "special assignment:" Go get some beetle eggs in mushrooms. They do, and she gives them a taste.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Trevor. He's described as "olive-skinned," and his mother is somewhat darker. He's not white, because when he eats an ethnicity-swapping Melting Pot Mixer, he's turned into a freckly redhead. But he could be anything, really.

* FutureLoser: [[spoiler: Averted. The crazy hobo claims to be Nate from the BadFuture, but they note that he doesn't look anything like Nate. He isn't. He's just got Nate's mind in him.]]

* GraveRobbing

* SpaceWhaleAesop: Actually used ''in-story.'' A character actually ''says'' "Don't take candy from strangers, because it could be magically enchanted candy," and just about everyone reacts with "...Yeah, like ''that'll'' ever happen."

* SurpriseCreepy: Look at that kid-friendly, carefree cover. Now highlight the spoilers.

* OverprotectiveDad: Mr. Stott over his adopted daughter, Lindy, in the sequel. But he isn't just worried about her safety--[[spoiler: he's worried that Jonas White may have found some way of restoring her memories, and making her remember that she used to be Mrs. White.]]

* {{Nerd}}: ''Pigeon.''

* WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld

* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: There's no limit to what the magic candy can do, depending on what kind it is. The effects can range from weightlessness to indestructibility to time manipulation. The only limit to their power seems to be that only children can wield the powers of these treats.

* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Justified}}. Magicians can't set foot outside their sanctums without [[NoOntologicalIntertia instantly reverting to]] [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld their true ages]], so they have to work through proxies and apprentices to accomplish their goals.

----
'''This book provides examples of:'''

* AntiHero: John.

* BlobMonster

* EarnYourHappyEnding

* FountainOfYouth

* TheWallsHaveEyes: The main characters are constantly stalked by a strange, floting, disembodied eye-like thing. When they realize who it belongs to, they shoot at it to destroy it... [[spoiler:...when they quickly realize they [[EyeScream shot out the bad guy's actual eye]].]]

''The Candy Shop War'' is a children's/young adult fantasy novel by Brandon Mull, who also wrote ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}.'' If you're familiar with the latter, you probably know what you're in for here: Quirky, GenreSavvy [[strike: children's]] [[PeripheryDemographic Young At Heart's]] UrbanFantasy with a ''striking'' amount of darkness.

The sequel, ''The Arcade Catastrophe,'' takes place one year after the events of the original. A new family fun center, called Arcadeland, opens up in Colson, and many local kids seem to be addicted to trying to collect tickets from the machines. The Blue Falcons, now GenreSavvy, quickly figure out that a new magician is in town and trying to recruit children to their ends. This would be suspicious enough, except that two extremely powerful people have just gone missing: John Dart, who polices nefarious magicians, and Mozag, the most powerful magician in the world. The Blue Falcons quickly connect the dots, and soon find themselves dragged into a new web of magical mayhem: This magician gives out ink stamps which bestow powerful effects. The problem? There are many, many other kids who've been taken in. And while the Falcons know what magicians are capable of, these new kids aren't...

* GenreSavvy: The Blue Falcons in the sequel. They know all the tricks magicians try to use on kids, so they know what's going on and what to be wary of. Their main problem lies in [[CassandraTruth impressing these facts on their fellow kids, who are suspicious of them.]]

* StealthPun: Each "club" of kids in the sequel are named after their stamps, and [[spoiler: Jonas]] brings up that the Jets are "just like ''Theatre/WestSideStory.'']] The pun comes [[spoiler: once they claim the Submarine's stamps, which let them fly and swim... effectively making them Jets ''and'' Sharks]].

* FantasticAesop: Actually used ''in-story.'' A character actually ''says'' "Don't take candy from strangers, because it could be magically enchanted candy," and just about everyone reacts with "...Yeah, like ''that'll'' ever happen."
** Joined to this is the more realistic moral that just because someone seems to be nice and offers gifts, it doesn't mean they necessarily have one's best interests in mind.

* [[spoiler: AmnesiacDissonance:]] [[spoiler: Linda isn't such a bad kid.]]

* [[spoiler: BadFuture]]
* [[spoiler: BadSamaritan]]: [[spoiler: Mrs. White.]]
* [[spoiler: BlankSlate: The villain literally becomes this as a way of defeating her.]]

* [[spoiler: EyeScream]]: [[spoiler: Destroying Mrs. White's spying bubble actually ''shoots her eye out.'']]

* [[spoiler: TimeyWimeyBall]]

* [[spoiler: YouAlreadyChangedThePast]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/candy_shop_war_cover.jpg

''The Candy Shop War'' is a children's/young adult fantasy novel by Brandon Mull, who also wrote ''Literature/{{Fablehaven}}.'' If you're familiar with the latter, you probably know what you're in for here. But if not: Quirky, GenreSavvy [[strike: children's]] [[PeripheryDemographic Young At Heart's]] UrbanFantasy with lively dialogue and a ''striking'' amount of [[DarkerAndEdgier darkness]] for what it is.

[[DeadpanSnarker Cynical Nate]] is the new kid in the tiny town of Colson, California. On his first day, he has the good luck to fall in with the Blue Falcons, a group of friends with a nondescript club (It's gone from treasure-hunting to tresspassing and more). Clever Trevor, fearless Summer, and brainy Pigeon (real name: Paul) quickly come to like snarky Nate, and accept him into the club after he charges local bullies Denny, Kyle, and Eric. Nate isn't the only new thing in town, though: There's also a new candy shop, the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. The kids stop in for some candy after a rough first day at school, and are pleased to find that the shopkeeper, Ms. White, is as kindly as she is good at making candy. But she accidentally lets slip word of "Secret Candy." What's this now? She promises she'll tell them if they ask again after getting to know her more. So they do a few chores for her shop. She gives them a "special assignment:" Go get some beetle eggs in mushrooms. They do, and she gives them a taste.

The "special candy" is ''magical.'' The first confection she gives them: Moon Rocks, which allow the person eating them to jump great distances. She's a magician, and she manufactures these magical sweets. But she's not the only one in town. To say nothing of the guy who shows up in town to ''hunt down'' magicians...

It's hard to give away too much more without spoiling a great deal. Suffice to say, if the cutesy premise (magical candy that gives kids superpowers!) sounds [[IncrediblyLamePun sweet]] and fluffy... Don't be fooled. Things will get much, ''much'' worse before the end, and our four {{Kid Hero}}es will quickly find themselves in ''far'' over their head...

* XanatosRoulette

* StealthPun: Each "club" of kids in the sequel are named after their stamps, and [[spoiler: Jonas]] brings up that the Jets are "just like ''WestSideStory.'']] The pun comes [[spoiler: once they claim the Submarine's stamps, which let them fly and swim... effectively making them Jets ''and'' Sharks]].