The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

 

My thoughts

This was the funnest book I've read in a long time. A cross between Alice In Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a sense. It has some pretty deep issues but overall it is a book about "wishes" and "never giving up". At least that is how I saw things. There was a part that made me cry some ugly tears and if you read this book you will know what part I'm talking about. For the most part this is a very moving and happy story though. If you believe that wishes can come true that is. 

Four children met a children't author, Jack Masterson when they were all young. Jack wrote the Clock Island Adventures. When they are all grown up they are invited back to Clock Island to play a Wishing Game in hopes to win a single copy of an unpublished manuscript of his last book. The winner will benefit greatly from this and each has a reason to need it. Each has a chance though Jack says possibly no one will win. 

This is also the story of Lucy and Christopher. Christopher is a foster child and Lucy wants to be able to foster then adopt him. He his mother. But Lucy is struggling and is not qualified to be a foster much less adopt a child. She only has a part time job. No car. No real home that is just hers. Her hopes are very slim until she receives the invite to Clock Island. Can she win this game and become Christopher's mother? 

You get to know Jack and Hugo. Hugo is the illustrator of the Clock Island books. He's been with Jack for years and is a vital part of this story. I really liked him. Jack is a strange kind of man but he always has the best of intentions. He can make you laugh out loud in places. He can make you get a bit mad at times too. But he is what he is. 

There are a few games or riddles the four contestants have to win and they are a bit complex even though they are based on children's stories. This book is about some things that can and do happen in life. It's about an island. A contest. A group of children. Siblings finding each other and possibly making amends. And it's about love. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #MegShaffer, #RandomHousePublishing, #Ballantine, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

It's also one of my BOTM picks. 

Five huge stars and I can't recommend this one enough. You will love it. It's just a fun yet serious read. 

Synopsis

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.

Make a wish. . . .

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.