The Wishing Game
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
July 2024
5 out of 5
“The stories write us, you see. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it…it changes us.”
“Don’t give up, Lucy. Always remember that the only wishes ever granted are the wishes of brave children who keep on wishing even when it seems no one is listening because someone always is. Someone like me. Keep wishing. I’m listening.”
Good Reads Synopsis:
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.
But be careful what you wish for. . . .
Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.
For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.
. . . You might just get it.
“Because only brave children know that wishing is never enough. You have to try to make your own wishes come true.”
Fantasy/ Realism
Adventure
Reading/ Love of books
Adoption
Ocean/ Clock Island
Do you remember as a kid reading the Magic Tree House series? When reading this book, that is what it made me think of. Books that brought you to a magical place, escape from reality and always hope you could be there. But… the contest makes me think of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, as well as the riddles! I loved the realism and fantasy of this story and enjoyed reading it. This book was entertaining and easy to read but also had a great story, character development, and I could not put it down. It was taking something that could be happening in the real world and creating a story with a happy ending to show that good things can happen.
“She kept her voice soft and low and gentle. Kids with hard lives deserved gentle words.”
