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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
3.5/5 ⭐️
Two of my favorite books from my childhood are The Candy Shop War and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so naturally, I was immediately drawn to this book.
This book did very much give me Charlie and the Chocolate Factory vibes, but it was also super magical in its own way. The descriptions made me feel as if I was there, and I was so envious of the characters for being able to live in this fictional world while I’m stuck in the real world!
I will say that the book had a very slow start to it, and some of the other chapters scattered throughout the book were also very slow. Reading the same events happening but in 4 different POVs got a little tedious at times, but I did love finding out how all the characters lives were intertwined with others!
Two of my favorite books from my childhood are The Candy Shop War and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so naturally, I was immediately drawn to this book.
This book did very much give me Charlie and the Chocolate Factory vibes, but it was also super magical in its own way. The descriptions made me feel as if I was there, and I was so envious of the characters for being able to live in this fictional world while I’m stuck in the real world!
I will say that the book had a very slow start to it, and some of the other chapters scattered throughout the book were also very slow. Reading the same events happening but in 4 different POVs got a little tedious at times, but I did love finding out how all the characters lives were intertwined with others!
Sweet story told from multiple viewpoints. Feels a little like The Gollywhopper Games and a little like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but is also its own story.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
Loveable characters:
Yes
The book starts out very much like a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I found annoying but my son most definitely did not. As it continues, some of the most important plot twists also seem stolen from other movies and books. (I'm not going to list them here or I'd have to mark this review for spoilers, some of the connections are that obvious.) However, I found myself mostly forgiving the story for this, because 1) I'm not the target age, and 2) it develops its own, standalone story that is quite different from those others.
My going-into-2nd-grade son loved this story. He read it before me. Once I read it, I regretted letting him read it at this age, instead of waiting until he was a bit older. There are some parts of the book that were darker than I really wanted him thinking about at this age. He reassures me he is fine with it. But then he'll start talking about questions that were raised for him by reading this, that I feel he would have been better prepared to face when he was a little older.
I think this is an excellent book for upper elementary and middle school aged children (and up). Be prepared to want to figure out how to make the signature lunch/dinner item that is featured.
My son says 5 stars. I'm vacillating between 4 and 5 stars. I definitely enjoyed the book, even as an adult.
My going-into-2nd-grade son loved this story. He read it before me. Once I read it, I regretted letting him read it at this age, instead of waiting until he was a bit older. There are some parts of the book that were darker than I really wanted him thinking about at this age. He reassures me he is fine with it. But then he'll start talking about questions that were raised for him by reading this, that I feel he would have been better prepared to face when he was a little older.
I think this is an excellent book for upper elementary and middle school aged children (and up). Be prepared to want to figure out how to make the signature lunch/dinner item that is featured.
My son says 5 stars. I'm vacillating between 4 and 5 stars. I definitely enjoyed the book, even as an adult.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reading this as an adult I wasn’t expecting to absolutely love it and be tearing up.
I loved this book when I read it (like 3rd grade). If I reread it (which I definitely will) I would probably find a lot more errors. But you know what, that's alright! I'll stick with tiny Charlotte's opinions on the book-SO MANY PLOT TWISTS! SO COOL CHARACTERS!
