Wished

Wished

Ed and his sister Roo face an awful half term break when they unexpectedly must be looked after by their neighbour Miss Filey and her extremely smelly old cat! Nothing, it appears can save their break until they find some very old birthday candles which they and their new friend Willard decide to light and make wishes – like everyone does on birthday cakes! It turns out, though, that the wishes they get are not entirely their own and they must work together – including the smelly cat Attlee – who it turns out can talk – to solve the situations they find themselves in!

All the elements are here for a series of adventures where our trio discover a huge amount about themselves – and Miss Filey – whilst surviving amazing escapades. Each person discovers a great deal about themselves, and about their friends as they explore, but have fun and laughter along the way.

I was particularly pleased to see the way Evans writes the fact Ed is in a wheelchair as he has a condition which makes it hard for him to walk – the way this is handled makes a refreshing change. Ed is fiercely independent, and hates being discussed by others – which feels very authentic. All the characters are well drawn – even the adults, who in some books end up more like ciphers than people.

This should most definitely be an instant classic – an overused term but one that is truly meant here.

Buy it, read it – you will love it!