2012 Book 171: The Arcade Catastrophe, by Brandon MullReason for reading: This is a sequel to a book I loved – The Candy Shop War. Plus, I’ve read all of Mull’s books, so I can’t stop now, can I? This book counts for California in my Around the World Challenge. It’s this week’s review for Read and Review Hop, hosted by Anya from On Starships and Dragonwings.
Review
Nate, Summer, Pigeon, and Trevor believe that things have calmed down since the wicked plans of Belinda White were foiled last year. But when they find out that Jonas White, Belinda’s brother, is running a suspicious Arcade in the area the kids are plunged into a new adventure. Because magicians can MAKE magic, but can’t actually USE it (and because they’re only safe from magical attack if they’re in a magical sanctuary – so they’re not often mobile), they use magical candy to recruit kids to do all their dirty work. Nate and his friends must use magical powers provided by the Magician/Candyman Mr. Stott to infiltrate White’s team. White sends them on a wild and magical treasure hunt for a dangerous artifact. How can the kids keep undercover without providing White unimaginable power? How can they keep such a huge secret from Lindy Stott?
Mull intended The Candy Shop War to be a standalone book, but because people kept asking for a sequel, he delivered. And you know what? I’m pretty sure it was better than the first book! Mull’s writing has developed quite a bit since he wrote The Candy Shop War. This book has adventure, humor, and good characters. It was a delight to read. I had a hard time putting it down. Originally, I was skeptical because I’m a fan of keeping standalone books standalone, but I’m really happy Mull wrote this book and I’m eager for the following one. 😀 These books are aimed at a slightly younger crowd than the standard YA book…I’d say they’re appropriate for 11-year-olds, but could be enjoyed by kids (and adults) of other ages too.
Hibernator's Library 
I also love standalone books, but have the same problem with wanting them to continue after they are done so I'm glad that you got the best of both worlds in some ways 😉 This series is such an interesting idea and also looks like a lot of fun 😀 Thanks for reviewing it for the hop this week! My book for the week was Delirium by Lauren Oliver, a dystopia YA 😉
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That's pretty cool that the sequel was better than the first; that doesn't happen often enough. Thanks for the great recommendation.
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Yeah, seeing a story continue is fun…but often if the author didn't plan for a sequel to begin with, the story just doesn't work out as a series….the sequel is generally a let-down from the first book. So that's why I cringe when people write sequels. But this one was really good! 🙂
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No, it certainly doesn't often happen! 🙂
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