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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a Book of the Month selection, and the one sentence pitch really sucked me in.
"The Wishing Game" follows Lucy Hart. Lucy is a struggling twenty-six year old who is trying everything in her power to save up enough money to be able to provide for herself and prove that she is worthy of adopting seven-year-old Christopher. Both of Christopher's parents are dead, and Christopher just cannot seem to find stability in foster care. Lucy is the one person Christopher really trusts, and they bond over a beloved children's series, Clock Island, written by Jack Masterson. When opportunity presents itself to solve riddles and win Jack's latest book, Lucy enters the challenge, and she wishes with all her might that she can win for her and Christopher.
This was a really beautiful story that highlights how important it is that children grow up with love, and that they are encouraged to never stop believing in the power of a wish. It was devastating to see Lucy struggle to build a life "good enough" for her to adopt Christopher. She has such a pure heart, and she has devoted her whole life to trying to make this happen. It really saddens me that someone with such amazing intentions is denied the right to adopt. Why shouldn't her heart be of bigger consideration? Why are there no programs to help assist her in the process?
I loved that the majority of the book centers around riddles, and not just any riddles, but riddles that are centered around a children's book series. What made it all the more fun was that the reader could play along with Lucy and try to figure out the riddles with her.
I felt like this book was well written and had an interesting plotline, but ultimately the characters were a little flat to me. I think it is great that Lucy wants so badly to adopt Christopher, but I think realistically a twenty-six-year-old would have more "fun" in her life. Jack also seemed kind of one dimensional to me. Yeah, he is eclectic, but something just felt "too much" for me AND "too little".
The *almost* ending broke my heart, and then the true ending seemed too good to be true, but I was happy to see where the characters ultimately ended up.
I enjoyed my time reading this book, and I would recommend it to book lovers who like to read about book lovers.
"The Wishing Game" follows Lucy Hart. Lucy is a struggling twenty-six year old who is trying everything in her power to save up enough money to be able to provide for herself and prove that she is worthy of adopting seven-year-old Christopher. Both of Christopher's parents are dead, and Christopher just cannot seem to find stability in foster care. Lucy is the one person Christopher really trusts, and they bond over a beloved children's series, Clock Island, written by Jack Masterson. When opportunity presents itself to solve riddles and win Jack's latest book, Lucy enters the challenge, and she wishes with all her might that she can win for her and Christopher.
This was a really beautiful story that highlights how important it is that children grow up with love, and that they are encouraged to never stop believing in the power of a wish. It was devastating to see Lucy struggle to build a life "good enough" for her to adopt Christopher. She has such a pure heart, and she has devoted her whole life to trying to make this happen. It really saddens me that someone with such amazing intentions is denied the right to adopt. Why shouldn't her heart be of bigger consideration? Why are there no programs to help assist her in the process?
I loved that the majority of the book centers around riddles, and not just any riddles, but riddles that are centered around a children's book series. What made it all the more fun was that the reader could play along with Lucy and try to figure out the riddles with her.
I felt like this book was well written and had an interesting plotline, but ultimately the characters were a little flat to me. I think it is great that Lucy wants so badly to adopt Christopher, but I think realistically a twenty-six-year-old would have more "fun" in her life. Jack also seemed kind of one dimensional to me. Yeah, he is eclectic, but something just felt "too much" for me AND "too little".
The *almost* ending broke my heart, and then the true ending seemed too good to be true, but I was happy to see where the characters ultimately ended up.
I enjoyed my time reading this book, and I would recommend it to book lovers who like to read about book lovers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse