The Lolly Shop is about the magic that a lolly shop can create. Written by Lauren Hackney and illustrated by Baxter and Ethan Hackney. This book is self-published through Thorpe-Bowker.
Who doesn’t want a bit of magic in their life?
Who wouldn’t love to own a lolly shop?
What if you could have both?
For Baxter and Ethan, they did have both. Their stall at the Manly markets in Brisbane became so popular, they needed a bigger to sell it all, so they opened their very own lolly shop. It was brightly coloured and decorated, and they had a lot of fun creating and making candy and chocolates to sell.
One day, there was an extra packet of ingredients with the order, which they thought was sugar, but it wasn’t!
It was magic powder.
When Baxter and Ethan added the magic powder to the candy, a different magical power would be experienced by the child eating or licking the candy.
What sort of magical power would you like to have?
I have always wanted to be able to snap my fingers and pop up wherever I wanted to, no need for cars or public transport. Blue Bear says he would like a magical power that gave him the ability to paint like a master painter.
The Lolly Shop was a delight to read. Discovering what kinds of magic the powder would create and how the children used their new powers, was a joy to read. I felt like a child again, remembering all the things I wish I could have done when I was young, and how the magic candy might have helped.
Blue Bear absolutely loved the cover of this book, because blue is his favourite colour (and mine too). He loved the quirkiness of the illustrations. The way the illustrators used pencil drawings to capture the feeling of fun and mayhem, the faces of the children and the lollies on every page, gave a sense that you were right there in the shop and the village, experiencing the magical adventures too.
I found the bold, large print perfect for anyone who has vision impairment. It was easy to read, and the story flowed, I couldn’t put it down.
This book is one that captured my imagination, and I am sure it will capture yours too.
This book was also very appealing to me because it was written, illustrated, and self-published by a family. Sharing their stories with others.
Thank you for creating this wonderful book!
Written for 9-11 years
Thanks to Books On Tour PR & Marketing for organising the blog campaign which this blog is a part of.
Educational activities
Writing activity
– What magical power would you like to have?
- What would you do with your magical power?
- Write the recipe for how to make your favourite lolly or chocolate.
Maths activity
- Imagine you are going to have a candy stall at school.
Work out how many types of lollies and chocolates you would need and how much would you sell them for?
Are you going to make any of the items yourself or buy them?
If you are going to make them, work out what ingredients you will need and how much of each ingredient.
Design activity
- Design a lolly you would like to create. What does it taste of? What does it look like?
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