Maggie and the Chocolate War

by Michelle Mulder

It's 1947, and although Would War II is over, food prices keep going up, Maggie has been saving her delivery job money to buy her best friend, Jo, a chocolate bar for her birthday. Suddenly, without warning, the price of chocolate is raised almost 60 percent, so she will never be able to save enough in time for Jo's birthday!

The other kids are outraged at the new price, too. Maggie and her friends leap into action and wage a strike against the price hike. But what can a bunch of kids do? More than you think! Maggie and the Chocolate War is inspired by real events that united children from coast to coast.

About the Author:
Michelle Mulder is passionate about books, bicycles, children, and chocolate. This is her third book for children. She has lived in Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver. She and her husband now reside in Victoria, B.C.

Genres: Historical Fiction

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Michelle Mulder is a Canadian children's author. She loves writing about kids who seize life's opportunities, and she tries to do the same in her own life. Some of her favourite adventures have included helping to dig a water pipeline in the Dominican Republic, backpacking through Argentina with her husband, and riding a hot air balloon through a Cappadocian valley in Turkey. She lives with her husband in Victoria, BC.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been so much better if the kids were able to accomplish what they set out to do - bring the price of chocolate bars down - without the adults stepping and bringing the whole thing to a halt based on a technicality. Lame.

[MONIQUE FONSECA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro infantil, muito bom. Fala sobre como lutar pelos seus direitos, mesmo sendo "pequeno".

[Yasmin Leal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Em 2016, o bibliotecário Davi me entregou esse livro em mãos, já que já tinha renovado Edith o número limite. Digo que é tão bom quanto, esse livro não é sobre o holocausto, mas é sobre a segunda guerra, mas focado na grande crise econômica que teve por consequência da guerra. É muito interessante ler esses relatos, para entendermos a complexidade e a extensão que esses casos históricos causam na sociedade.

[Sloan]

I loved this book. Prices of food are rising and there is nothing they can do to stop it. Maggie normally doesn't buy a ton of stuff but her friends birthday is coming up so she wants to buy her a chocolate bar. Chocolate bars are normally 8 cents but they have raised it to 20 cents ish. She starts a war for prices to go down.

[Matheus Henrique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chato, com um assunto chato, sobre um fato real chato

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

It is 1947 and Maggie’s plans to buy her best friend Jo a chocolate bar for her birthday melt away when the price per bar is raised from five cents to eight cents. Children can no longer afford to buy chocolate! In response, children across Canada organize themselves, marching on parliament and protesting in front of stores. As the daughter of a shopkeeper, Maggie’s life becomes sticky when she gets wrapped up in the cause that may hurt her father’s business. She is ultimately forced to navigate between loyalties to her father, her protesting friends, and what she feels is right. In the end Maggie manages to muster the courage to confront the government, her father and her friends. Michelle Mulder’s fictional narrative beautifully highlights true historical events from post WWII Canada. By focusing on the chocolate prices, this book captures the impact of the price increases to all goods at that time in a manner that is both interesting and relevant to children of today. Pictures of the real 1947 protesters are interspersed with the text and add further credibility to the plot. The plot is fast paced without sacrificing the credibility of the characters and their relationships with one another. Maggie, for example, is both an admirable character and a believable child. This book is a wonderful example of how doing what you know is right can sometimes be bittersweet.

Reviewed by Roxana Enriquez in Canadian Children's Book News
Winter 2008 Vol.31 NO.1

[SISlibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction text that builds a narrative around the drastic increase in the price of chocolate bars in Canada in 1947 and the effect on children coast to coast. Children across the country are outraged and boycott chocolate bars. The author has created realistic characters that children of today's generation will be able to relate to and empathize with.

Could be used as a read-a-loud.

Connection to grade eight Social Studies program (WWII - rationing).

Recommendation: Grade 5+

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing for SLJ. Right now my feeling is "meh". But sometimes, once I start writing the review, I discover I liked the book more than I thought. We'll see if it happens in this case...