For twenty-six year-old Lucy Hart, the "Clock Island" children's book series by Jack Masterson was the saving grace of her childhood. During years otherwise marked by neglect and profound loneliness, Lucy escaped to Clock Island when she needed it most, and found solace in the stories about wishes, bravery, and children triumphing over evil.
As an adult, Lucy only has one wish: to adopt seven year-old Christopher Lamb, a young boy in her school without parents of his own after tragedy struck. But for Lucy, it'll take nothing short of a miracle to make her last wish come true; mounting credit card debt, no car, and a less-than-ideal living situation has left her in no position to adopt.
But then, the mysterious Jack "The Mastermind" Masterson announces that, after a years-long hiatus, he's writing a final book. And just like that, memories of Clock Island come rushing back to Lucy along with the once-in-a-lifetime chance to return to Jack's home on the real Clock Island and win the only existing copy of his new book. Suddenly, Lucy's wish may just be within reach.
"The Wishing Game," most of all, is pays homage to the child that still lives in all of us. It is a magnificent, utterly spell-binding ode to innocence and an astonishingly-creative feat by Meg Shaffer. In just 300 pages, she brings the fictitious world (and series) of Clock Island to life with wit, humor, and surprisingly-profound lessons woven through every chapter. Every page of this story was magic, and I never wanted it to end.
This is a simple story about the power of stories; about what can happen when a child believes, and when someone takes the time to listen and decides to make their wish come true. Wrought with all the charm of Sarah Addison Allen and the emotion of Fredrik Backman, "The Wishing Game" is a gift that I will remember forever.
Rating: 5 Stars
Publication Details: Out 5/30/2023, Random House Publishing
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
