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. Because her memory has also been erased, she can’t remember her evil past, and the novel ends by presenting her as a lost innocent.

Arcade Catastrophe (2012) continues the adventures of the original group of characters. When John Dart and the magician named Mozag disappear, two other magical enforcers arrive in town to look for them. By this time, Belinda White has been adopted by the elderly magician of the first book, Sebastian Stott. She is now known as Lindy and has allied herself with Zach, Summer, Pigeon, and Trevor. The new enforcers say that the disappearance of Dart and Mozag is linked to an arcade in town called Arcadeland. The place is owned by a magician named Jonas White, who seeks a magical artifact called Uweya that will let him control the world. Unbeknownst to Lindy, Jonas turns out to be her brother. As was true of the first book in the series, the children are exploited by an evil magician searching for a talisman. Instead of magical candies, they are motivated to collect magical hand stamps that grant them superpowers. The novel ends with Dart and Mozag rescued and Jonas taken into custody.

Carnival Quest (2023) follows a parallel plot structure to the earlier two books in the trilogy. Instead of an evil candy shop or arcade, a visiting carnival proves to be an equally sinister trap for the children. Once again, a relative of Lindy’s is the villain. She is another sibling named Camilla and the proprietor of the Dreams and Screams International Carnival. The carnival can grant one’s fondest wishes or conjure up one’s worst nightmares. Those who visit the amusement park fall under its spell. Some people go missing for days. Because magic is blocked inside the carnival, the Blue Falcons can’t rely on their magical candies to help them. Instead, they use carnie coins and special tickets to penetrate the carnival’s secrets, defeat the last of the White magicians, and save the day once again.