The Wish Stealers

Wish-obsessed sixth-grader Griffin Penshine's life changes dramatically following a chance encounter with an evil old woman, who curses her with a gift of 11 Indian Head pennies. Each penny represents a wish stolen from a wishing fountain, and the curse says that the person holding the stolen wishes will never have a good wish come true (bad ones will, though). To break the curse, the wishes must be returned to those who originally made them, or to another person who has made the same wish. Trivas, in her children's debut, does a reasonable job of navigating the oddities of the curse along with Griffin's more typical concerns, like boys and being snubbed by a popular classmate (“She started to wish the party was ruined or that no one showed up or—NO, NO, NO, I DO NOT WISH THAT! Do I? ”). Some details seem out of tune—Griffin idolizes Janis Joplin and Michelle Shocked, names unlikely to strike a chord with the Jonas Brothers generation. But readers will easily connect with other elements, such as Griffin's close relationship with her grandmother and her optimistic determination. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)