PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Harper’s voice-driven story glows with slow-growing optimism and moments of magic. Ashley’s summer is off to a rough start when she learns that her best friend Lucy is moving away; besides the all-around awfulness of losing a friend, Ashley relies on Lucy because of her own face blindness, an inability to recognize people. Then Lucy’s mother announces that Claire, the seven-year-old daughter of a family friend, will be staying with them for a while. Upset at these turns of events (as well as Lucy’s temporary departure for summer camp), Ashley is shocked to discover a jar full of paper wishes in the basement, which magically allows her to be an invisible witness to the changing friendship between two unfamiliar girls. In between fulfilling Claire’s various demands for their days together, Ashley pieces together the girls’ story, though readers may guess the connection long before she does. Still, Ashley’s colorful interior life and growing self-confidence, along with dashes of romance and mystery, combine elegantly in this story about growing up and the way friendships evolve. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW
Ashley is ready for the worst summer of her life. Her best friend, Lucy, is going to camp and then moving away forever and Ashley’s mom has roped her into babysitting for a friend’s daughter for three weeks before she can meet Lucy at camp. While she is wallowing in her sadness, Ashley stumbles upon a magic jar full of wishes among her mom’s junk. Soon after seven-year-old Claire arrives—full of enthusiasm, energy, and surprises. She has a long list of things that she wants to do while she is visiting. But all Ashley can think about is her wish jar, reading her new P. J. Walker novel, and getting through the next three weeks so that she can finally spend time with Lucy. Ashley decides that Claire is “like the golden retriever of people—everyone loves her.” And, although her enthusiasm is exhausting, Claire turns out to be exactly what Ash needs to get through all the upheaval of the summer. Harper connects people and events seamlessly throughout the story, keeping readers engaged to the end. It will be easy for kids to empathize with Claire as she comes to terms with the loss of her mom, and with Ashley, as she grapples with all of the changes in her life. Fans of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me (Random, 2009) and E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (S. & S., 1967) will enjoy this refreshing novel.–Annette Herbert, F. E. Smith Elementary School, Cortland, NY