The Wishkeeper's Apprentice

Ten-year-old Felix Jones is miserable: his best friend Max has moved away from their hometown of Whittlestone, and Rebecca, his beloved older sister, has been ignoring him. Trudging home alone--Rebecca forgot (or refused) to pick him up from soccer again--Felix pauses at Whittlestone's fountain, wishing on his last penny for Rebecca to like him again. Elderly wishkeeper Rupus Beewinkle appears and laments that while he wants to grant Felix's wish, his wishfulness gauge reports a dangerous level of downcast and disheartened feelings resulting from granted wishes mysteriously dissolving. As Rupus's newly appointed apprentice, Felix must seek out the monster destroying Whittlestone's wishes, along the way discovering that he himself is the result of a wish Rebecca made a decade ago--and, if the fur-covered wishsnatcher remains at large, Felix will fade from existence. British author Chivers Khoo's debut is a pleasantly cozy fantasy starring a resourceful hero with a knack for sorting out the delightfully disorganized Rupus, and whose yearning to repair his sibling bond is affecting. A recipe for snorlicks, the heartening wishkeeper's drink of choice, concludes. Most characters read as white. Ages 7-10. (Apr.)

Gr 3-6--Felix Jones wishes more than anything that his 16-year-old sister liked him again. He feels silly dropping a penny into a fountain making this wish after Rebecca forgets to pick him up from soccer, but figures it's worth a try. As he thinks about how much his sister has changed over the past year, he notices a small man who appears to be stealing pennies (wishes!) from the fountain. And that is how Felix meets Rupus Beewinkle, the town Wishkeeper. Rupus explains that lately there have been lots of "wish snags," and other wish anomalies. Felix realizes that the terrifying creature he has been seeing in his nightmares might have something to do with all the messed up wishes in town. Rupus needs Felix's help to figure out what's going on, but it may be more than both of them have bargained for. Black-and-white illustrations, both spread-length and scattered throughout, bring Rupus and Felix to life. Young readers will love learning about the whimsical world of Wishkeeping in this well-realized story. A dramatic twist halfway through will keep the pages turning. VERDICT A quirky novel recommended for young fantasy lovers.--Mandy Laferriere