The Candy Shop War

When Brandon Mull first completed The Candy Shop War in 2007, he had no intention of creating a series. At the time, he was still in the early stages of his writing career and sandwiched the book between installments of the Fablehaven saga. There was a five-year interval before the second title in the series appeared and another 11 years before the finale was published. In an author interview, Mull suggested that while the second book left the door open for additional plot and character development, the third novel was intended to wrap up all the loose ends and bring the story to a satisfying close for fans.

The Candy Shop War (2007) tells the tale of four fifth graders whose ordinary small-town world in Colson is disrupted by the arrival of magicians in their midst. A magical enforcer named John Dart also comes to Colson to apprehend magicians who use their powers for evil. The proprietor of a new candy shop in town lures the four children to do her bidding with the promise of candy that gives them superpowers. By the novel's end, the evil Mrs. White has been transformed into a 10-year-old girl after she drinks from the Fountain of Youth.