The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders (review)

When eleven-year-old twins Lily and Oz (Oscar) Spoffard move with their parents into the London family home/chocolate shop of their dad’s great-uncles, they learn their family’s secret and magical past. Talking animals—Demerara, a vain but friendly cat, and Spike, a (literally) dirty rat with a smoking habit—fill the siblings in on their family’s recipes for magical chocolate (one type will make the eater live forever) and a murderous accident caused by one of the great-uncles, Isadore, that killed his two brothers, Pierre and Marcel. Great-great-uncle Isadore, it seems, is still alive and up to no good by trying to make the immortal chocolate for the terrorist Schmertz Gang. It’s up to Lily and Oz to prevent Isadore from succeeding but when Isadore kidnaps Oz, they realize that Isadore might not be as evil as he seems. Can Isadore perform a final act of goodness that will save a family member’s life? Will the immortality chocolate recipe remain safe? You can bet your Cadbury they will. This is a diverting confection of a tale, but with some surprising substance as well: the complexity of Isadore’s character in particular is well-drawn, as are Lily’s struggles with her dyslexia and her fears of inadequacy. Sassy, beauty-obsessed Demerara is a total hoot, and Saunders is skilled at playing up the humorous side of the story. Hand this to fans of Eva Ibbotson, and they’ll be as happy as kids in a candy store.