Maggie and the Chocolate War
- Publisher
- Second Story Press
- Initial publish date
- Jan 2007
- Category
- General, General, Post-Confederation (1867-)
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781926739410
- Publish Date
- Jan 2007
- List Price
- $9.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781897187272
- Publish Date
- Sep 2007
- List Price
- $14.95
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 8 to 12
- Grade: 4 to 8
- Reading age: 9 to 12
Description
It’s 1947, and while the second world war is over and ration tickets are gone, food prices are going up. Then it is announced that the price of chocolate is going up too! Maggie and her friends leap into action and plan a strike against the price hike.
About the author
Michelle is the author of several books for children, and she enjoys telling the stories of kids who seize life's opportunities. When growing up in Port Moody, British Columbia, her favourite spot was the library. She loved cracking open the cover of a novel, taking a deep breath, and jumping into another life.
At university, Michelle studied literature, and between courses, she helped dig a water pipeline in the Dominican Republic and flipped burgers for a summer at a McDonald's in Germany. After graduating, she cycled 6000 kilometres across Canada, became a travel writer, taught creative writing in the Arctic, and worked as a simulated patient for medical students to practice on. She also married the pen pal that she'd been writing to since she was fourteen years old, and together they traveled around his home country of Argentina.
Michelle began writing for kids because she's always loved reading children's books. These days, when she's not writing or going on adventures, she enjoys reading, swimming, baking, hiking, and pedaling her bicycle around Victoria, British Columbia, where she lives with her husband and daughter. For more information about Michelle and her books, please visit her website at www.michellemulder.com.
Librarian Reviews
Maggie and the Chocolate War
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.
Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Winter 2008. Vol.31 No.1.
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