Book Review: Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

Publisher’s description

Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren’t careful what you wish for.

Ollie Di Costa wishes things could be different.

He wishes the bullies at school would leave him alone. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn’t have to worry about things like paying for college. But most of all, he wishes he wasn’t so angry about all of this. When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change-then suddenly, it does. Everything Ollie and Mia wish for comes true, and it’s like all of their problems are solved. But magic comes at a price. Whatever they wish for is not simply given to them, but taken from others. And to make matters worse, a mysterious shadow man called The Mage is after Wishbone and his power. With each wish, darkness takes over more and more of their world, and worst of all, it threatens to take over Ollie, too. But can he let go of everything he’s ever wanted?

Justine Pucella Winans, author of the Stonewall Honor book The Otherwoods, brings us another bone-chilling middle grade horror, urging readers to not only be careful what you wish for, but beware of who you may become if you aren’t.

Amanda’s thoughts

It seems like maybe Ollie’s life is complicated enough. He’s out as trans, which seems mostly fine—one nasty bully, Jake, and his followers are mean to Ollie, and some online popularity with some baking posts bring out the transphobes–except he’s wondering what it means for him if the identity of demiboy is the best fit. He may be fine with his identity (sometimes he’d like to be all genders and sometimes he’d like to be no genders), but worries if he’ll be seen as boy enough by others if he embraces this identity. His parents are CONSTANTLY arguing. Life at home is not great and he and his sister, Mia, who is a senior, are mostly left to fend for themselves. Plus, just simply being thirteen is enough, right?

But a HUGE complication happens when Ollie is sucked down under the beach and discovers a horrifying backwards alternate world. Ollie knows he’s never paid attention in science class that well, but he’s pretty sure it’s not normal to find a whole secret world under the sand. He and a two-tailed cat, who Ollie names Wishbone, are pulled back to the real world, but now nothing will ever be the same. Not only does Ollie repeatedly end up in this alternate world, but it turns out Wishbone is a magical wish-granting cat, which seems cool, but, like all wishes, ends up having unforeseen consequences. And then there’s the issues of curses. Wishbone had a cryptic note clipped to him about magic and curses. Who is cursed? And how? And how do you change that curse? When the wishes include pretty major things like money, his bully, his parents’ relationship, and how Ollie looks, there are bound to be major changes and fallouts. But if life isn’t fair anyway, why not just make the wishes and not worry about the consequences? Is it okay to hurt people if they deserve it? Why not do whatever it takes to just be happy?

As Ollie and crew (who are all queer—Ollie is a trans demiboy, Mia is bisexual, friend Lauren is a lesbian, and new friend Noah is gay) learn more about the magic and about The Backward Place, they have to learn what the takeaways are supposed to be and how to navigate life both below and above ground. Ollie also has to learn some uncomfortable truths about negative emotions, anger, what we deserve, and exactly who may be the one carrying a curse.

Filled with plenty of action, this look at feelings, strengths, found family, and friendship is a satisfyingly creepy fantastical story full of heart. Ollie eventually learns that maybe the in-between don’t have to be scary and unsettling, but places he can accept and learn to thrive in. A fun, emotional read.

Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9781547612574
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 09/17/2024
Age Range: 9-13 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews