Review Detail

Ash is upset because her friend Lucy is moving away and also spending the whole summer away at camp while Ash has to be stuck at home for most of the summer to help amuse Claire. Claire's mother has died and her father can't cope, so Ash's mother has agreed to take her for the summer. The younger Claire is full of ideas and plans, and Ash doesn't really want to deal with her, especially after she finds a jar in the basement labeled "wishes". The jar is filled with slips of paper, and when Ash reads them, she can see into the lives of Ashley and Shue, who seem to have written the papers. (When she sees them, she yells a "test phrase" to ascertain whether they can hear her-- it's always an animal and a color, like "fuschia fox".)Their story seems to be intertwined with the lives of two of the residents in the nursing home where Claire and Ash help with craft time. Ash starts to see that Claire is really benefiting from the time the two spend together, and even starts to enjoy the little girl herself.

This is a gentle tale of gratitude in the face of disappointment, and a great lesson in thinking about others. Ash is never mean to Claire, but comes to understand how much Claire needs her very slowly. The magical realism is a nice touch, and something for which more and more readers are asking. Even though Claire's mother and father are gone, Ash's parents are both very much present and supportive. The girl's involvement in the community is a nice tough, as is Ash's struggle with prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces).