{"product_id":"the-whizz-pop-chocolate-shop-isbn-9780385743020","title":"The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFans of Roald Dahl’s \u003ci\u003eCharlie and the Chocolate Factory\u003c\/i\u003e will adore Kate Saunders’s new middle-grade adventure that is “a whizz-pop chocolate romp” (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews).\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnter a world filled with magical chocolate, evil villains, and an adventure twins Lily and Oz never could have dreamed. . . .\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLily and Oz Spoffard have just inherited a magical house with a mysterious boarded-up chocolate shop on the ground floor. The twins’ great-great-uncles were famous chocolatiers, and their chocolate was ANYTHING but ordinary. In fact, it had magical properties.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow an evil gang is after the secret recipe, and it’s up to Lily and Oz to stop them. The fate of their family, and the world, depends on it.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003c\/u\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eThis story has adventure, excitement, humor and magic, and will appeal\u003c\/b\u003e to boys and girls alike.”—\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eReminiscent of Roald Dahl’s \u003ci\u003eCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A quick pace and intricate plot twists keep excitement high . . . [in] this \u003cb\u003eenjoyable and moving romp\u003c\/b\u003e through a magical London underworld.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for Kate Saunders\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003c\/u\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eThis story has adventure, excitement, humor and magic, and will appeal\u003c\/b\u003e to boys and girls alike.”—\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eReminiscent of Roald Dahl’s \u003ci\u003eCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A quick pace and intricate plot twists keep excitement high . . . [in] this \u003cb\u003eenjoyable and moving romp\u003c\/b\u003e through a magical London underworld.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFive Children on the Western Front\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWinner of the Costas Award for Children’s Fiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“\u003cb\u003eAn irresistible read.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Saunders strikes a\u003cb\u003e surprisingly successful balance between the mischievous magic of the sand fairy and the harsh realities of wartime\u003c\/b\u003e England.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eA dramatic, heartrending look at World War I’s far-reaching consequences\u003c\/b\u003e for families and individuals.”—\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eSaunders weaves the supernatural with the ordinary with ease.\u003c\/b\u003e Readers who enjoyed \u003ci\u003eThe Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop \u003c\/i\u003ewill not be disappointed.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Clearly, Saunders has honed her deft and breezy comic style while affectionately channeling mild \u003cb\u003eechoes of \u003ci\u003eHarry Potter\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Hobbit.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eReviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Saunders’s imagination is out in full force. \u003cb\u003eHand this to readers who love adventure, fantasy, and \u003ci\u003eMission Impossible\u003c\/i\u003e–type adventure.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003eMagicalamity\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“\u003cb\u003e[Children] will love this action-packed adventure, brimming with sly humor\u003c\/b\u003e and clever asides….This book should fly off the shelves, with or without a magic carpet.”—\u003ci\u003eSLJ, \u003c\/i\u003eStarred Review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eA quick, magical romp.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Saunders weaves \u003cb\u003ea tight tale\u003c\/b\u003e with a satisfying conclusion.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003eBeswitched\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“This absorbing novel…features \u003cb\u003ea dimensional, delightful protagonist, whose personality and growth ring true\u003c\/b\u003e....Along    with the entertaining magical elements, the universal themes of    self-discovery, and looking beyond appearances combine into a wholly    engaging and enjoyable read.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Saunders offers a coming-of-age tale against the rich backdrop of full period detail . . . \u003cb\u003e[It] will charm readers.\u003c\/b\u003e”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A ripping English boarding-school story with \u003cb\u003ea perceptive heroine and time-travel twist guaranteed to appeal\u003c\/b\u003e to modern schoolgirls.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003eKate Saunders has written lots of books for adults and children. These include \u003ci\u003eBeswitched\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMagicalamity, The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFive Children on the Western Front\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in London.\"We'll probably sell the place,\" Dad said, from the driver's seat. \"I shouldn't think it's worth much. The letter said it had been empty for more than seventy years.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"It's probably a rat-infested ruin,\" said Oz.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Rats!\" squeaked Lily. \"I hate rats!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Keep your wig on, Lil,\" Dad said over his shoulder. \"We're only taking one quick look. I've never inherited a house before.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The previous day, a strange parcel had arrived at the Spoffard family's small house in Washford Common. It was from a solicitor named Mr. Spike. In his letter, he explained that Dad's great-uncle Pierre had died and left him a house. The parcel had also contained a set of old keys and the title deeds to 18 Skittle Street, London N7.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At first Bruce Spoffard had thought it must be a mistake. As far as he knew, his great-uncle Pierre had been dead since long before he was born. \"The three Spoffard brothers--my great-grandfather and two great-uncles--were killed in a freak accident in 1938, when the tram they were in ran off the Thames Embankment.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Pierre obviously didn't die on that tram,\" said Oz. \"I bet he deliberately faked his own death. Maybe his brothers did too.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Steady on,\" Dad said, smiling. \"Even if they did, they wouldn't have lasted until now--they'd be about a hundred and twenty!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I'm sure there's a perfectly simple explanation,\" Mum said. \"Whatever it is, this house couldn't have come along at a better time--what with the mortgage and the twins' shoes, and Oz's music lessons and Lily's tutor, and a new baby on the way.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I don't want a tutor,\" said Lily. \"Sandra's a cow--she blames me when I can't do things.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Her parents had heard this complaint many times before, and now ignored it. They had an amazing talent for not hearing things they didn't like.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"And this old car's on the point of conking out,\" Dad added.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"It's a shame you had such expensive kids,\" Lily said crossly. \"Oz costs a lot because he's a genius, and I do because I'm stupid.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"For the last time,\" Mum said, studying the street map, \"you are not stupid. You have dyslexia.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I'm not a genius, either,\" said Oz. \"If I were a genius I wouldn't need music lessons, would I?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Neither parent was really listening. \"Where are we, anyway?\" Mum asked. \"I don't know this part of London at all.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"We're just coming into Holloway,\" Dad said. \"Not long now.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bruce Spoffard was a tall, bony man with curly black hair cut very short around his bald patch and a kindly, rather sleepy-looking face. His wife, Emily, was a small, pale person with straight blond hair and a sweet, faraway smile. Their eleven-year-old twins, Oz (short for Oscar) and Lily, were an interesting mixture of them both. Oz had straight light-brown hair and greenish-blue eyes. Lily had crazy curly black hair, a pale face dotted with freckles and eyes like black buttons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lily stared out of the window. Despite the bright sunshine, this section of London was gray and dreary, a hot mess of noisy roads and run-down shops. Washford Common had trees and gardens; here she couldn't see a single leaf or blade of grass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Here we are--this is Skittle Street.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dad turned the car onto a short street with a large block of flats down all one side. On the other side was a row of sooty, shabby Victorian shops. In silence, they all got out of the car and stared at the shops.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oz's interest quickened. He hadn't cared that much about seeing the new house, but he thought there was something quite intriguing about this street.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The shop at the end of the row was boarded up and covered with graffiti. But the supermarket next door had a colorful display of fruit and vegetables spilling out onto the pavement, and window boxes of scarlet geraniums on the upstairs sills. The hardware shop next to it had bouquets of rainbow-colored feather dusters hanging in the doorway. Next to this was a very cheerful-looking cafe, its steamy windows filled with pictures advertising all-day breakfasts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Across the road, a black boy of about Oz's age was skateboarding on the concrete ramp that led down to the dustbins. Every time he got to the bottom of the ramp he did a showy corkscrew twist--the kind Oz could never do himself without falling off. He thought how brilliant it would be to have a friend like this boy, though he was probably too cool to be friends with a violin-playing nerd like Oz. The boys in his class mostly treated him as if he were invisible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Well, this is my new house,\" Dad said, in front of the boarded-up shop.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Under the crust of dirt, you could just make out the curly letters above the door.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Lily nudged Oz. \"What does that say?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Spoffard Bros.,\" Oz read to her (Lily's dyslexia made reading difficult, especially when the letters had funny shapes). \"Established 1927--hey, Dad, this was your family business!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Yes,\" Dad said, \"and I can remember my grandmother telling me about it when I was little. You know the story. They were makers of fine chocolate. They had a showroom in Piccadilly, but this was their workshop, and Great-Uncle Pierre lived upstairs.\" He began to search through the bunch of keys. \"I assumed it had been sold years ago; funny that it's been here all this time, empty.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Should we risk going inside?\" Mum wondered. \"It might not be safe.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Something soft brushed Lily's foot. It was a cat-a rather stout but very beautiful female cat, with long golden-brown fur and bright, solemn green eyes of a peculiar square shape. She sat down on the pavement and stared at Lily.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Hello,\" whispered Lily. She longed for a cat and had asked for one for their eleventh birthday two months ago, but her parents had said that cats and new babies didn't mix. She bent down to stroke the cat's soft, smooth head.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Lily,\" Mum said, \"what on earth are you doing?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Look--isn't this cat adorable?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Darling, what are you burbling about now?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I'm not burbling!\" Lily looked down at the cat. She had gone. There was no sign of her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Oz, you saw that cat, didn't you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"No.\" Oz had been watching the skateboarding boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"She must've run away when she sensed hostility.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mum groaned. \"Please let's not have the cat argument now.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Found it!\" cried Dad. He unlocked the front door, cautiously pushing it open. It opened onto a dark passage with a door at the other end and another door in the left-hand wall.","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302020534501,"sku":"NP9780385743020","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780385743020.jpg?v=1767742201","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-whizz-pop-chocolate-shop-isbn-9780385743020","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}