Becca Singer is having the Worst Day Ever. Her best friend, Harper, has dumped her, and Becca is friendless and alone.

Then the box arrives in the mail.

Inside, Becca finds a bracelet and a mysterious note telling her to make a wish. So Becca puts on the bracelet—why not, right?—and wishes to have friends. Lots of friends. So many friends.

And just like that, the magic works. Suddenly, EVERYONE wants to be Becca’s BFF, from all the kids at school to the teachers (!) to Becca’s own mom (!!). As things quickly spin out of control, Becca starts to wonder, Is this wish a curse?

************************

Friendship. It’s what every kid wants and BEST WISHES, the first book in this engaging new series, focuses on the meaning of being a friend. Fifth grader Becca narrates her story going from having no friends to suddenly everyone wanting to be her BFF.

Wearing the magic bracelet is the key, but when her friend requests get overwhelming she can’t find a way to remove the bracelet and magic. The 14 chapters move along swiftly ending in a perfect and surprising way. The plot sets up the next book in the series, THE SISTER SWITCH, co-authored with Debbie Rigaud and due out next year.

Readers in 4th-6th grade will enjoy spending time with Becca. The cover will draw them in at first, but thankfully the story lives up to that promise of a good read.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: September 6, 2022 PAGE COUNT: 192

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: BEST WISHES by Sarah Mlynowski

1. Losing a best friend because you grow apart and have different interests hits the spot for something many kids face. Irritating older brother Brahm becomes the savior after giving Becca advice on how to gain real friends, including a parrot she despises.
2. Wishing for something and actually getting it is a magical plot device not new to middle grade but certainly handled in a unique and fun way here.
3. The dad is off working most of the time and Becca longs to be with him more. She eventually learns how to make this situation better by being honest.
4. How the mom goes from being a strict parent to suddenly dressing like her daughter and letting Becca have a phone, a social media account, and pizza. All things she was less than successful at getting before wearing the bracelet. A fun look at when a parent becomes a BFF.
5. It was nice to see the family practicing their faith without it overshadowing the main plot. The focus is on friendship, and that alone makes the story shine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.  

Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins), now a Disney Channel movie; and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have), Don’t Even Think About It, Think Twice, I See London, I See France, and Just a Boy and a Girl in a Little Canoe. Along with Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart, Sarah also wrote How to Be Bad, and along with Farrin Jacobs, she wrote See Jane Write, a guide to writing. Sarah also co-edited two bestselling charity collections (Girls’ Night In and Girls’ Night Out), and has contributed to various anthologies (American Girls About Town, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, 21 Proms, First Kiss (Then Tell), Fireworks, and Vacations from Hell). 

Sarah is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a celebration of books aimed at the early to middle grade reader (ages 7-12) that brings together commercial and award-winning authors with underserved local communities for an exciting experience of books, games and activities.

Sarah’s books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters. (Visit Sarah’s Author Website here)

BE SURE TO CHECKOUT ALL THE MMGM POSTS THIS WEEK.

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME BELOW…