Happy World Book Day! I can't think of a better new book to celebrate with than The Boy Whose Wishes Came True. This wonderful, heartwarming story is about hope, friendship and the power of wishing.
Football sticker loving Archie Crumb is having a tough time when he bumps his head and comes face to face with his footballing hero, who gives him nine wishes to help him turn his life around. Can Archie wish his way into a better life with pizza, stickers and ice cream? Or are there some changes he can only make on his own?
This is an important book about young carers and seeking help when you need it. I think it's a necessary story that will make a lot of young readers feel seen, but is hard to read in places as an adult reader and parent!
The impact of mental health shown and treated with seriousness and sensitivity. There's no magic wand to fix it at the end, but this story is ultimately uplifting and full of hope. Archie's story shows the importance of positive thinking and framing, and now seeing yourself in a negative light too often, even when there are horrible things in your life that you can't control. It's okay to feel sad, but Archie fights to make sure that sadness doesn't overwhelm him.
Through Mouse, this book also charts the ups and downs of friendship, and how it's sometimes important to put yourself out there and make new friends, even if you have a close best friend.
But, even with its moments of seriousness and sadness, this book is SO much fun! There are lots of comic moments, clever chapter openings and the general mayhem caused by Archie's wishes is brilliant to read. I liked the practical consideration given to each one, which makes you almost feel like they could just be really strange coincidences, as Mouse argues. Has Archie really been given a magical gift, or has he just started to look at his life in a new light? You'll have to read the book to decide!
Thank you Scholastic for sending me a copy to review.
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