The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop

by Kate Saunders Narrated by Jayne Entwistle

Overview

"Reminiscent of Road Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*. . . a great read-aloud." --Booklist

Welcome to the most magical house in London.*

The family of eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily have inherited it, together with the mysterious shop downstairs. Long ago, the shop's famous chocolate-makers, who also happen to be Oz and Lily's great uncles, were clever sorcerers. Now evil villians are hunting for the secret of their greatest recipe. The terrifying powers of this magic chocolate have the ability to destroy the world.**

Soon, Oz and Lily are swept into a thrilling battle, helped by an invisible cat, a talking rat, and the ghost of an elephant. It's up to them to stop the villians and keep the magical chocolate recipe out of harm's way. Their family and the world depends on it.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

This entertaining English fantasy from Saunders (Magicalamity) reads as though conjured up by a clever child’s imagination, creating a world where, behind ordinary police and government forces, a Secret Ministry of the Unexplained (SMU) exists to handle goblins, ghosts, and “anything... unexplained that might be a threat to national security.” Eleven-year-old twins Lily and Oz Spoffard are introduced to the SMU by a talking cat when their family inherits, and moves into, their great-great-uncles’ house, which includes the remains of their once-famous chocolate shop. Learning that the chocolate their great-great-uncles made was no ordinary confection, and that one of them—wicked, immortal Isadore—is still alive and trying to supply a dangerous terrorist gang with immortality chocolate, the twins, along with an adventurous new friend, are pulled into the SMU’s quest to find and stop Isadore. A quick pace and intricate plot twists keep excitement high, while the warm family dynamics, unexpected relationships, and thoughtful character development add just the right amount of depth to this enjoyable and moving romp through a magical London underworld. Ages 10–up. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Kate Saunders

Praise for The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
 
“This story has adventure, excitement, humor and magic, and will appeal to boys and girls alike.”—SLJ
 
“Reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”—Booklist

“A quick pace and intricate plot twists keep excitement high . . . [in] this enjoyable and moving romp through a magical London underworld.”—Publishers Weekly

Five Children on the Western Front

Winner of the Costas Award for Children’s Fiction
 
★ “An irresistible read.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Saunders strikes a surprisingly successful balance between the mischievous magic of the sand fairy and the harsh realities of wartime England.” —The Bulletin

“A dramatic, heartrending look at World War I’s far-reaching consequences for families and individuals.”—SLJ
 
The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix
 
“Saunders weaves the supernatural with the ordinary with ease. Readers who enjoyed The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop will not be disappointed.”—Booklist
 
“Clearly, Saunders has honed her deft and breezy comic style while affectionately channeling mild echoes of Harry Potter and The Hobbit.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Saunders’s imagination is out in full force. Hand this to readers who love adventure, fantasy, and Mission Impossible–type adventure.”—SLJ
 
Magicalamity
 
★ “[Children] will love this action-packed adventure, brimming with sly humor and clever asides….This book should fly off the shelves, with or without a magic carpet.”—SLJ, Starred Review
 
“A quick, magical romp.”—The Bulletin
 
“Saunders weaves a tight tale with a satisfying conclusion.” —Booklist

Beswitched
 
A Junior Library Guild Selection
 
★ “This absorbing novel…features a dimensional, delightful protagonist, whose personality and growth ring true....Along with the entertaining magical elements, the universal themes of self-discovery, and looking beyond appearances combine into a wholly engaging and enjoyable read.”—Booklist, Starred Review
 
“Saunders offers a coming-of-age tale against the rich backdrop of full period detail . . . [It] will charm readers.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“A ripping English boarding-school story with a perceptive heroine and time-travel twist guaranteed to appeal to modern schoolgirls.”—Kirkus Reviews

APRIL 2013 - AudioFile

Eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily tap into a magical world when their father inherits a house and a chocolate shop from his great-great-grandfather. Jayne Entwistle’s chipper, youthful voice conveys the twins’ excitement when they discover that they’re the only ones who can see Spike, a talking rat, and Demerara, a talking cat. In Entwistle’s portrayal, Spike’s accent takes on a charming Cockney flair. Her sophisticated depiction of Demerara features long, drawn-out words befitting the cat, but at times the voice is overdone and makes the character somewhat unlikable. While Entwistle’s variety of voices is also evident in the story’s other characters, voices often run into one another, making it difficult to distinguish one from another. Nonetheless, this is an enchanting children’s story. M.F. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

What do you get when you mix chocolate, magic, dyslexia and immortality? Plenty of zany intrigue, that's what. When the Spoffard family inherits 18 Skittle Street, London, twins Lily and Oz are pleased to discover it includes a now-defunct old-fashioned chocolate shop. At first it's just a lark, but soon the kids are drawn into a vortex of historical tensions involving their mysterious triplet relatives--great-great-uncles Pierre and Isadore and great-grandfather Marcel. Ongoing challenges range from fighting off the demands of the Schmertz Gang for magical chocolate and dealing with the Secret Ministry of the Unexplained to assuaging the immortal and evil Isadore's pain over unrequited love for his sister-in-law, Daisy. Helpful cohorts include a skateboarding neighborhood boy named Caydon, with talking-animal assistance provided by a plump cat named Demerara and a rat named Spike. A Time-Glass that shows events from the past and magical postcards add to the fun. Light and fluffy when not bogged down in explanations, the narrative gives occasional overt or implied nods to Harry Potter, James Bond, Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. Infused with cheerful flecks of British humor, the characters eventually endear themselves to readers, especially as Isadore proves to be an incompetent villain tired of immortality. Readers may appreciate references to dyslexia as another kind of magic. A whizz-pop chocolate romp. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169150544
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/12/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

"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."

"It's probably a rat-infested ruin," said Oz.

"Rats!" squeaked Lily. "I hate rats!"

"Keep your wig on, Lil," Dad said over his shoulder. "We're only taking one quick look. I've never inherited a house before."

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.

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."

"Pierre obviously didn't die on that tram," said Oz. "I bet he deliberately faked his own death. Maybe his brothers did too."

"Steady on," Dad said, smiling. "Even if they did, they wouldn't have lasted until now—they'd be about a hundred and twenty!"

"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."

"I don't want a tutor," said Lily. "Sandra's a cow—she blames me when I can't do things."

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.

"And this old car's on the point of conking out," Dad added.

"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."

"For the last time," Mum said, studying the street map, "you are not stupid. You have dyslexia."

"I'm not a genius, either," said Oz. "If I were a genius I wouldn't need music lessons, would I?"

Neither parent was really listening. "Where are we, anyway?" Mum asked. "I don't know this part of London at all."

"We're just coming into Holloway," Dad said. "Not long now."

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.

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.

"Here we are—this is Skittle Street."

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Well, this is my new house," Dad said, in front of the boarded-up shop.

Under the crust of dirt, you could just make out the curly letters above the door.

Lily nudged Oz. "What does that say?"

"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!"

"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."

"Should we risk going inside?" Mum wondered. "It might not be safe."

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.

"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.

"Lily," Mum said, "what on earth are you doing?"

"Look—isn't this cat adorable?"

"Darling, what are you burbling about now?"

"I'm not burbling!" Lily looked down at the cat. She had gone. There was no sign of her.

"Oz, you saw that cat, didn't you?"

"No." Oz had been watching the skateboarding boy.

"She must've run away when she sensed hostility."

Mum groaned. "Please let's not have the cat argument now."

"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.

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