The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas
Simon & Shuster (Aladdin), 2010.
281 pages
The Wish Stealers is a treasure of magic, wishes, and lucky Indian head pennies. However, some pennies can be unlucky, as Griffin Penshine soon finds out. After meeting a very old lady in an antiques shop, Griffin becomes the new caretaker of a box of "lucky" pennies. The lady warns Griffin that the pennies are wishes stolen from people years before, and that the holder of the wishes must return them to their rightful owner or be forever cursed. If Griffin tells anyone about the unlucky box, she will never have any of her wishes come true again. And, she can't throw away the pennies or the box.
Griffin only wishes for a few things: she wants to be the best bass guitar player in history. She wishes her grandmother's health will improve, and that her mother will deliver a healthy baby. But a wish stealer's good wishes never come true--only her bad wishes happen.
How will Griffin outsmart the curse of the pennies? And how can she, a sixth grader, achieve the hardest penny of all: World Peace? The Wish Stealers is a fun read with real humor and whimsy. Half mystery, half comedy, this novel is sure to delight girls ages 9-13. Readers of the Ramona series will like Griffin Penshine. Recommended for collections--grades 4-7.
FTC Disclaimer: This book and others were sent to me to review by another blogger who receives MANY books from publishers. The book was at no cost to me. This review is in no way influenced by this fact.
Will boys like it, too? I really prefer books that appeal to girls and boys.
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I think girls will like it better since the protagonist is female, but the story is appealing to both boys and girls.
ReplyDeleteOh, this sounds like a good one. I'll have to give it a try. I review middle school books and am always on the lookout for appealing stories.
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