The Wishing Game

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-08-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-06-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-19-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-07-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Shaffer, Meg	4-week checkout	Due 05-10-2024

"A retired bestselling author hosts a one-of-a-kind competition, with high risks and high rewards-giving the winner a chance to change lives. Lucy Hart has come a long way since feeling the cold neglect of her parents, whose attention always centered around her chronically ill sister's needs. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher's aide, Lucy is able to share her love of books with bright, young students, and one in particular, a seven-year-old orphan named Christopher, has her yearning for a family of her own. The Clock Island books were Lucy's passion and refuge as a child, and now she shares them with Christopher, who's become as big of a fan as she ever was. No matter how badly Lucy wants him in her life, even the idea of adopting him seems out of reach without proper funds and stability. Then a blue envelope arrives at her school, inviting Lucy to compete for the one and only copy of Jack Masterson's final novel in the iconic Clock Island series. No one has seen or heard from Jack Masterson in years, but now four diehard Clock Island fans have received the invitation of a lifetime to stay on his private island and compete for the final installment, and un-published manuscript, of the well-loved series. For Lucy, a chance to read the last-ever Clock Island book is a prize worth playing for, but the possibility of winning and securing a better future for her and Christopher means everything. But first, she must contend with opportunists, cheaters, and, perhaps most distressingly, Jack's illustrator and companion on the island, Hugo Reese, whom Lucy has admired since first reading the books as a girl. All the while, the master of ceremonies, the prolific author himself, has his own secrets to keep-and a larger plan in the works that will change everything for all of them"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

3 out of 5 stars! submitted by Jess347 on June 16, 2023, 9:28pm I wanted to like this book - I really did! I just feel like it wasn't right for me. It was okay, it just frankly felt too slow for me in the middle (so I kept skipping ahead and then going back). I think the author acknowledges at the end that this book isn't meant to focus on the intricacies of the foster care system but rather on the hopes and dreams of kids, but what didn't work for me was the strange blend of realism and fictional aspects. It feels really mysterious and weird to have Clock Island just be an actual location, and I felt like there could have been a lot more world-building and character building.

It all was fairly predictable, devoid of the really cool riddles I was expecting, and lacking much realistic character development. Plot points and character conflicts were resolved fairly quickly and predictably, and *spoiler alert* but the way the ending was resolved bugged me a little because Jack fixes everything with his money. I feel like given the broken foster care system and a lot of systemic factors surrounding the issues that the kids faced (abuse, neglect, racism, discrimination, student debt), there could have been more opportunities to dive into the nuances of these topics. Rather, it seems like Jack basically uses his money to solve all the problems of these four individuals.

I'm left wondering about all the kids in this world who cannot solve their problems by writing to Jack, who may not even know of Jack, who may never receive money or be "chosen" by Jack. Anyways, I feel like it was just meant to be a nice, wholesome ending book, but I kept getting distracted by the unrealistic aspects (which really could just be a me thing). So, at the end of the day, giving it a 3 out of 5 stars - okay, but won't strongly recommend.