Ava Tree and the Wishes Three
Grade 2–4—Ava Tree, whose parents died in an accident, lives with her 22-year-old brother. On her eighth birthday, she wakes up to find that she has "wishing power": she wishes that her pet rabbit would use the toilet like a person, and he does. Next, she wishes that her best friend's mom, who is overly concerned about proper behavior, would not "fix" her Backward Birthday Party. She learns that she can only make three wishes a day, that they only last for 24 hours, that by wishing for mean things to happen to other people she ends up hurting herself, and that some wishes don't come true. Despite her multiple attempts, her parents do not come back to life. Character development is slight, though Ava does get a little further along in her grieving process. The ending suggests that her wishing power comes from her mother, so this is not a strictly realistic tale, but readers will relate to it. Some of the illustrations are oddly proportioned and don't add much, but the text is large and the line spacing generous. An additional choice for readers who are ready for longer chapter books.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.