Book Review for The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

This is a contemporary story that takes place on mystical Clock Island off the coast of Maine. In addition to being the setting of a popular children’s book series, it is a place of whimsy and intrigue. However, someone who doesn’t belong there has sneaked onto the island.

This story’s focus is on the protagonist, Lucy, who works as a teacher’s assistant in an elementary school, Christoper the young boy she desires to adopt, her favorite author, Jack Masterson, and Hugo the illustrator of Jack’s books.

Lucy is a twenty-six-year-old who felt neglected as a child and ran away to Clock Island where she met her favorite author—Jack Masterson. Since then, she has been wishing she could be his sidekick. She cares for Christopher, an orphaned boy at her school, and desires to adopt him. However, her financial situation is getting in the way. She receives an invitation to participate in a contest on Clock Island for a chance to win the coveted prize, Jack Masterson’s new manuscript! She is hoping to win the contest so that she will be in a financial position to adopt Christoper.

Christopher is an orphaned seven-year-old boy who lives in a foster home where he feels neglected. The only adult who gives him much attention is Lucy, a teacher’s assistant at his school. He is fascinated with sharks and is afraid to talk on the phone.

Jack is a famous children’s author who wrote the popular Clock Island series but hasn’t published a book in the past five years. He lives on a private island—the setting for all of his stories. He is a brilliant thinker. He hosts a contest and invites adults who had visited his island as children to compete for ownership of his latest manuscript. He enjoys using riddles and games in his stories and makes them part of the contest. He believes that “The only wishes ever granted are the wishes of brave children who keep on wishing even when it seems no one is listening because someone always is.”

Hugo is the illustrator of Jack Masterson’s Clock Island books and is Lucy’s favorite living artist. He seems to always be scowling but has a kind heart. He has taken it upon himself to look after Jack and develops feelings for Lucy.

I enjoyed this book. I delight in books about books. I love how it kept me wondering what would happen next on the island and whether Lucy would win the contest. The ending did surprise me.

I wish this book would have unveiled more complex worldbuilding—providing additional details about the various places on Clock Island. I didn’t care for the repeated use of a four-letter word and that brought my rating down a point. I liked the story but wouldn’t recommend this book to children because of the language. I give this book a 4-star rating.