The Wishing Game

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What to expect

'Part Willy Wonka, part magical realism, and wholly moving' Jodi Picoult

'Clever, dark, and hopeful . . . a love letter to reading and the power childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up' V.E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

'A dreamy, inventive novel about how books can not only change lives but save them too' Sarah Addison Allen, author of Other Birds

One of the Washington Post's top ten feel-good novels of the year: a perfect gift for book lovers everywhere!

During her lonely childhood, Lucy Hart found solace in Jack Masterson's Clock Island books. Now a teacher's aide, she shares her love of reading with Christopher, a former student she'd give anything to adopt - if only she could afford it.

Just when Lucy is about to give up, the famously reclusive writer announces that he's finally written a new book, and he's holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island to win the only copy.

Winning the most sought-after book in the world could change Lucy and Christopher's lives. But with wily opponents, the books' distractingly handsome illustrator, and Jack Masterson himself to contend with, that won't be as easy as she wishes . . .

Love The Wishing Game? Discover Meg Shaffer's gorgeously moving The Lost Story, available to pre-order now!

Critics Review

Meg Shaffer's beautiful novel is part Willy Wonka, part magical realism, and wholly moving. It broke my heart and patched it over and reminded me that even as an adult, if you look hard enough, you can find the child still inside you
Jodi PIcoult
Our list of must-read fiction books wouldn't be complete without a novel that reminds readers of the power books hold between their pages. Meg Shaffer's The Wishing Game may not contain any magic--this is a whimsical tale, but it's grounded in reality--yet there's something magical about the book
Readers Digest
A heartwarming, page-turning story of found family, love triumphing over indifference, and the world-changing power of a good book
Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood
A dreamy, inventive novel about how books can not only change lives but save them too. Full of the power of imagination, it's one of my favorite books of the year.
Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds
A magical ode to storytelling, imagination, and the mystery of the creative life . . . Wildly imaginative, clever, and inspiring, The Wishing Game is for anyone who has found light in a story just when they need it
Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Meg Shaffer's debut establishes her as one of the best. The Wishing Game sees the secret child hidden inside all of us, and it takes us on the thrilling, magical journey we all long for--where we might end up with everything we want but only if we risk it all
Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds
Shaffer blends tragedy and triumph in a whimsical and gratifying debut about what makes a family. This is wish fulfillment in the best way
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A meditation on the power of hope when all else seems lost
Kirkus
A work by turns clever, dark, and hopeful, Shaffer's debut is a love letter to reading and the power childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up
V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

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