The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop #2

by Kate Saunders (Contributor)

The exciting companion to THE WHIZZ POP CHOCOLATE SHOP. A secret government department, once again, needs the magical help of Oz and Lily in a desperate mission. The children must travel back in time to the height of the Blitz. Can they defeat some very dangerous supernatural creatures and save London's famous cathedral from destruction by fire?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Time Travel, Childrens, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Kate Saunders (born 1960) was an English author, actress, and journalist. The daughter of the early public relations advocate Basil Saunders and his journalist wife Betty (née Smith), Saunders has worked for newspapers and magazines in the UK, including The Sunday Times, Sunday Express, Daily Telegraph, She, and Cosmopolitan.

She has also been a regular contributor to radio and television, with appearances on the Radio 4 programs Woman's Hour, Start the Week, and Kaleidoscope. She was, with Sandi Toksvig, a guest on the first episode of the long-running news quiz program Have I Got News For You.

Saunders has also written multiple books for children and for adults.

Reviews

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Lily, Caydon, and Oz. Their family inherited their great uncle’s magical chocolate shop as well as Demerara and Spike, a magical talking cat and rat. When Demerara accidentally sets off a time travel breach after eating a leftover chocolate experiment, the group discovers that the evil witch, Alba, is back. She and her sisters are traveling through time trying to destroy history. Can the trio and their magical friends stop her and her sisters?

This action-packed, funny fantasy adventure is engaging and entertaining. The plot is well developed and full of plot twists and turns. The characters are quirky, uniquely well developed, and easily draw the reader into their magical world. Fans of fantasy, adventure, magic, and chocolate will enjoy reading this book. Although this is the sequel to the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, this book can be read out of order.

Recommended for Grades 4 to 8 or Ages 8 to 14.

This book was also featured on The Keepers of the Books' Weekly Reads 10 episode. For more reviews, recommendations, or online librarian advice, visit us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3v.... You may also find a copy of this review on kissthebook.blogspot.com

Please Note: This book was given to us in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed, however, are our own.

[Ria K · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk kitabı muazzamdı, çok beğenmiştim falan ama ikinci kitapta konudan hafifçe sapmaya, ayrıca olaylar da saçmalaşmaya başladı. İnternet üzerinden olan satışları tükenmişti, hiçbir yerde kitabı bulamıyordum, sonra bir kütüphanede rastlayınca çok sevinmiştim ama benim için biraz hayal kırıklığı oldu. 😔

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inhalt:

Die Zwillinge Oz und Lilly haben eine neue Mission, die sie bis ins 17 Jahrhundert zurück reisen lässt. Durch ihre vererbten Gene ihre Urahnen, gehören sie der neuen Generation der Hexen ihrer Familie an. Ihre Fähigkeiten sind zwar noch nicht ausgereift, aber dennoch zählt das GMU auf ihren Einfallsreichtum und ihr Geschick. Dieses Mal ist der Gegner mächtiger denje. Die Hexe Alba ist aus der Versenkung aufgetaucht und plant London dem Erdboden gleich zu machen.

Gemeinsam mit einer Armee aus Ratten, einem Bodyguard in Gestalt eines zwölfjährigen Vampirmädchens und mit Hilfe einer seltenen Zeitreiseschokolade, stellen sich Oz und Lilly ihrer Herausforderung. Doch können sie das Schlimmste abwenden und Alba stoppen?

Meine Meinung:

Dieses Buch ist einfach klasse, denn es steckt voller Magie, Geheimnissen und außergewöhnlichen Charakteren!

Allein die ganzen magischen Tiere mit denen die Zwillinge zusammenleben sind spitze. Gerne hätte man solche Zeitgenossen an seiner Seite mit denen man Beautytage, ausgelassene Spieleabende oder gar mordsmäßige Abenteuer erleben kann. Aber auch die ganzen Dinge drum herum sind absolut magisch und dürfen in einem Fantasy-Abenteuer nicht fehlen z.Bsp. sprechende Rosentapeten, unsichtbare Elefantenbabys oder gar Dinosaurier, aber auch eine magische Geheimagentur und vor allem ganz viel Zauberschokolade! *lach*

Der Aufbau der Handlung ist eine reine Achterbahnfahrt voller Humor, Abenteuer und Magie. Kate Saunders hat ihre Idee einfach genial umgesetzt und hat mich als Leserin absolut in ihrem Jugendfantasy-Abenteuer gefesselt.

Lilly ist der Angsthase der Zwillinge. Stürzt sich ihr Bruder voller Begeisterung in jedes Abenteuer, fürchtet sie sich allein schon vor einem stürmischen Klopfen an der Haustür. Doch steckt sie erst mal mitten im Geschehen, ist auch ihre Abenteuerlust entfacht und man kann mit ihr sehr viel Spaß haben.

Demarara, die sprechende Katze ist mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen. Sie ist zickig, modebewusst und wird schnell zum Raubtier, wenn sie sich ungerecht behandelt fühlt. Sie erinnerte mich total an meinen eigenen Stubentiger, nur mit dem gravierenden Unterschied, dass sie nicht mit mir spricht und auch nichts von Nagellack und Lockenwickler hält. ;)

Aber das sind nur 2 der wundervoll gestalteten und sympathischen Charaktere, die man in diesem Buch antrifft!

Das Cover ist liebevoll, detailliert und verspielt gestaltet. Es weckt die Neugier des Lesers und strahl natürlich die Magie & Fantasy aus, die sich auch in den Seiten versteckt hat!

Fazit:

Locker flockiger Lesestoff für Zwischendurch, denn man einfach nicht verpassen darf! Tolle Charaktere, eine magische Handlung und spannende abwechslungsreiche Abenteuer warten nur darauf erlebt und gelesen zu werden!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruca and Emily Spoffard were the parents of three very special children. This children had special powers. There was Oz ( short for oscar) and Lily they were twins, and then there was baby Daisy. Lily had a cat named Demerara she could talk and was immortal and Oz had a rat named spike and he also was inmortal. Their parents never knew what was happening because they didn't had a bone of magic in their body all they knew was that they inherit from their ansestor a chocolate workshop. Everything at 18 Skittle Street was ever normal.One dy the police came to their house , but it was not really the police it was the SMU, SMU stands for Secret Ministry of the Unexplained.Last summer Oz , Lily , and Caydon who was Oz best friend had been recruited and they had to do a very dangerous mission. This time they were coming for Demerara.This time they have to do a very important mission, Alba a bad witch was in search of a special time traveling chocolate that was in form of a Phoenix they wanted to use this to travel to the past and change the way things hapened. She had the help from her sister secunda and twelvey, but Oz, Lily, Caydon, and Silver their very special body guard will do anything to prevent this from happening. I really loved this book , it has been one of my favorites. It has scince ficción, adventure and mysterie. Once you start reading the book you dont want to stop.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saunders, Kate, Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix (Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, #2), pgs. 256. Penguin Random House, 2015. $16.99. Language; G, Mature Content: G, Violence: G

Meet Lily, Caydon, and Oz. Their family inherited their great uncle’s magical chocolate shop as well as Demerara and Spike, a magical talking cat and rat. When Demerara accidentally sets off a time travel breach after eating a leftover chocolate experiment, the group discovers that the evil witch, Alba, is back. She and her sisters are traveling through time trying to destroy history. Can the trio and their magical friends stop her and her sisters?

This action-packed, funny fantasy adventure is engaging and entertaining. The plot is well developed and full of plot twists and turns. The characters are quirky, uniquely well developed, and easily draw the reader into their magical world. Fans of fantasy, adventure, magic, and chocolate will enjoy reading this book. Although this is the sequel to the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, this book can be red out of order.

EL, MS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was delighted by the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop-I am 69 and think that my 10 year old grandson will enjoy it too. This is a sequel to the Whizz Pop book. The first book did a great job introducing the characters, especially the three children who are eleven years old. They were quite realistic, which added to my enjoyment of the story. This book added time travel in addition to other magic skills of the children.

This sequel did not do as much character development but was filled with action. The author does a great job of pulling together all segments of the story and introduces a bit of British history also, including the time of the Black Plague as well as the 1940 blitz and fire in London.

I do hope the series is continued with a bit more character development.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companion book to The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop.
Oz, Lily and Caydon are called upon to help save London once again. They carry magic in them and they are needed to stop the witches who introduced the magic to their genetic lines.
We meet an 11 year old vampire bodyguard and the kids time travel to 1666 and 1942.
This is a fun story. There are ridiculous elements to it.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these characters and their place in magic and time - the loops and ripples that exist through magic chocolate. I look forward to finding out more about Lily, Oz, Caydon,baby Daisy and now Silver too. Fun.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end was bril and by halfway through I couldn't put it down but the beginning wasn't the best. Still LOVED it though!!!!!!

[Justine Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite enjoyed this book but there was too much action happening too quickly that left me head spinning. Maybe a bit slower and more about the characters then just the plot?

[Lisa Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winsome children's fantasy and mystery book. This sequel to the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop is just as charming and enjoyable as the first book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What isn't there to love magical chkldren, a vampire, time travel, witches, a dinosaur with a fondness for beer and a talking immortal cat. What wasn't there to love!

[Niamh Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it was very interesting!

[Carol Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome sauce

[Brittney Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, book one could have been read as a standalone. This one has nothing to do with the main story and everything is wrapped up by the end of the first. This is a separate story with things going on that has nothing to do with the main story. More of a second story using the same characters rather than a continuation.

There was SO much reminding about what happened in book one. I realize this was probably for when it first came out, and everyone maybe needed a bit of reminding, but going back-to-back made me suffer a little. There were even a couple reminders that Demerara is a talking cat.

I'm sadded by the fact that there wasn't any character development at all. Lily is still a wuss. Crying and being scared of literally every single thing. Oz and Caydon never mature or get closer to their "being in the commando unit" goal. None of the adults see them as any more able to handle themselves. No improvement at all from book one.

I found it upsetting that Silver's reputation of being a strong, smart, and effective bodyguard never saw the light of day. Her story starts with a silly mistake, and then she goes on to make several others. At no point did we see her actually being a baddie that can protect these kids "better than anyone else in the field."

It was a cute little adventure and overall entertaining. Not quite as dark as book one. But there was nothing that made it the same or better than the first one.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this return to the magical world we first visited in the Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, Kate Saunders sends Oz, Lily and Caydon on a new adventure to protect Britain from magical terrorists. Even though the chocolate shop and magic related to chocolate didn`t feel as prominent in this instalment, I still really enjoyed what we did see of it. In addition, I found the time travel element of the plot really confusing and ended up a bit lost for part of the book. However, I feel that the real strength of these books is the characters as there is a really likeable main trio and I liked all of them individually as well as their dynamic as a team. I also thought new character Silver was an excellent addition and she actually ended up becoming my favourite of the children. I wasn`t just as keen on the villains in this book in comparison to first, but they were still suitably scary, and Alba was especially sinister. My absolute favourite characters had to be Demerara the cat and Spike the rat who were so sweet and funny. 3.5/5

[libs :p · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww! I love this duology. It is just so whimsical and magical (although this book didn't have quite as much chocolate as thee first one).

This book did a really good job at further developing the characters (plus my ship sailed in this book! Yes!) This book was also filled with some new characters which were all unique and interesting. The stakes also felt higher in this book because the villain seemed a lot more menacing than Uncle Isadore.

I loved the plot Lin of Caydon's prophecy (which I totally predicted, by the way :-p) it added a whole new level of intrigue to the story.

I'm going to miss this series now that it's done (even if I did buy it over half of my life ago and only just got round to reading it). Its just so magical and honestly one of my favourite middl grades. I definitely think I'll bee rereading it at some point.

[Jessica Rhys-Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't one of the best books around, but I did still enjoy the story and the characters. I just feel like I'm at a point in my life where I'm too old to enjoy kids books, but then I think about it and there are some kids books that I do really like. Maybe it was just this book or maybe it's me.
While I enjoyed the story line, the book wasn't really keeping my attention and I just wanted it to be over. I really liked the characters and I think they were written really well which is something I liked about this book.
The Book is meant to be an adventure about a chocolate phoenix but I feel like for a good chunk in the middle it just wasn't anymore and then it circled back to it at the end which confused me.
Despite thinking this, the story line was enjoyable and if you like the sound of the story from the blurb I think you should give it a try.

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the historical element and the time travel, but that is about the only thing I did enjoy. This jumps right in and is immediately over the top. I normally like talking animals, this cat is not enjoyable in the least. There are other outlandish situations that did nothing to add to the story (looking at you, Steggy). The squabbles between the evil sisters are ridiculous. The 11 year old vampire body guard I could have gotten behind except she fails at everything and then has a woe is me attitude. Also, the three as saviors? They don't really do much and aren't very believable. I get the author was probably going for lighthearted and fun, but it was just impossible to suspend disbelief with how ridiculous everything was.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed THE WHIZZ POP CHOCOLATE SHOP, I bought this book as soon as I discovered its existence. (Saunders' sense of humor is a treat. She makes me laugh.) This sequel brings a fresh adventure to our trio—Oz, Lily, and Caydon—by dragging them into a new chocolate-laced escapade. Saunders brings new details to light, developing the characters in a direction that gives me hope of future titles.

An excellent choice for middle-graders who like adventures that don't get too scary.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz, Lily, and Caydon are called back into action when the SMU is alerted to a magical discrepancy in the area. Chocolate, strange visions, and a paranormal new classmate throw everything into chaos all over again.

Holding to the golden standard set by the first book, The Curse of the Chocolate Phoenix is fast-paced, funny, and just as fantastical as The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop. This is a no-brainer duology to recommend.

Great for fans of British-based fantasies with witches, magic chocolate, talking animals, secret government agents, and maybe a few ghosts.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read both of these in this series aloud to my son, and he liked them. He likes the magical parts of them. He's 12. He also really liked the bits of history that appeared in this one. I loved what happens to some of the characters and how one of the "secrets" is kept for a while and then finally revealed. It is a fun, funny, and if you're a really sheltered kind of kid, even "dark" or "spooky" parts of this book, which our kiddo probably is, so it totally worked for him. He's 12. We also enjoyed all the animals in these books.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read out loud bedtime book. Suitable for children of all ages. Companion to the fantastic Whizz Pop Chocolate shop. Twins Oz and Lily with friend Caydon set off on another rip-roaring and very funny magical adventure. Demerera the vain immortal cat and Spike the immortal rat both play key roles in the story. A fun read for grown-ups too.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a cute book that had 2 do with 3 children that were related that have magin including a 4th one being the baby Daisy also had magic but in a different way then Cayden,Lily and Oz did they also had 2 talking pets a cat named Demerara and a rat named Spike...this is their adventures in time traveling thru history..they learn that is not a good thing..anyways good book.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date - 11.11.24 to 12.11.24.
My rating - Three Stars.
I did enjoyed this book but I didn't love. Both The atmosphere and the paced of plot was fine but I feel at bit rush also the writing was okay and I would like this book to be longer. The characters was fine and they needed to be flash out bit more.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oz, his twin sister Lily and Cayden, Oz's best friend
return in a new adventure that features time travel.
Similar to: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban.
The tone is light and the story has a good pace.

Another novel with a similar theme:
Time Cat, by Lloyd Alexander

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! I liked it better than the first one. I really enjoyed the adventure in this one and Silver is a great new character. I need there to be a third book with even more character development for the twins and Cayden, and I need to learn more about Daisy's role in everything.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So when I started this book I quickly came to the conclusion that there is a book before this one.
But in this case it didn't really matter.
The story was unique and different.
The characters were brilliant especially silver the child vampire

[Ruby B · Rating 5 out of 5]

it draws you in and there is always something happening in the book. (But read number one first.)

[Virginia Adi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had the potential to be good, but the story was weak.