The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop

Gr 4–7—Eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily move into a haunted house inherited from their great-great-uncles, who were triplets. The wallpaper in Lily's room gossips and taunts her, while the mysterious chocolate shop downstairs holds its own charms. The uncles were sorcerers of a sort and developed a magic recipe for chocolate. When one of them defected to the evil side and created a chocolate potion for immortality, he killed his brothers, hoping to retrieve their two golden molds. The only way to achieve the magic combination is by using all three molds as one. Unfortunately, an evil gang has gotten wind of the recipe and has even more dastardly plans. Oz, Lily, and a friend are thrust headlong into an exciting secret mission to stop the evil before it is too late. With the aid of a glamorous talking cat, a feisty cigar-smoking rat, a ghost of an elephant, and even the equivalent of James Bond secret agents, the good versus evil battle begins. This story has adventure, excitement, humor, and magic, and will appeal to boys and girls alike.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH